The Ever Winding Road
by blackend
Summary: Mattie and Reid were aware that thier lives would never be boring. They just did not count on all the twist and turns. Plus, what's up with Amy? Sequel to A Thin Line. ReidMattie
1. Coming Home

**The Ever Winding Road**

**A/N: The sequel to **_**A Thin Line**_** has arrived! I cannot promise frequent updates, but I will try to update ASAP. This chapter is small and sweet just to get back into the routine of things. Also, thanks to REIDFANATIC for betaing this story. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't any characters who appear in the TV show, **_**Criminal Minds**_**.**

**Chapter 1: Coming Home**

_"The only thing that makes one place more attractive to me then another is the quantity of heart I find in it." Jane Welsh Carlyle_

* * *

"When is Mattie coming back?" Morgan asked Reid, who kept checking his cell phone for messages and missed calls.

"Today," Reid said. He put his phone in his pocket. Mattie had only been gone for a week, yet it felt longer.

"How's her father doing?"

"Better." In reality, he wasn't sure. Mattie had left for home because her father had gone through a rough patch with his cancer. Mattie had said he was doing better but something in her voice had been lacking. He could tell she was holding back how bad it really was.

"Seriously Reid, stop," Morgan said as Reid took out his cell phone again. "You will know the moment she calls. Maybe your new nickname should be, Dr. Lovesick puppy."

Reid glared at him and followed Morgan over to his desk. "I am not a lovesick puppy." Morgan was about to say something, but Reid's phone rang. "We will continue this conversation later." The caller id confirmed that it was Mattie. "Hello."

"Hey. Wow, that is amazing." Mattie said as she sat in the airport.

"What is amazing?" Reid asked as he down at his desk.

"Just hearing your voice and suddenly everything is wonderful."

"Same here," he just smiled at hearing her voice.

"I have some bad news. I am still in St. Louis."

"I thought your plane was supposed to take off an hour ago."

"It was, but the weather has been a mess so who knows when I'll be getting home." She let out a big sigh. She really just wanted to be home with Spencer.

"Oh, I really was looking forward to seeing you." His voice sounded sad that she wasn't going to be home.

"I know. I'm seriously considering just laying in bed with you for a week when I get back."

"I think you would go insane after a few days."

"You are probably right. Hold on." Mattie listened as an announcement was made over the intercom. "There is hope that you might see me tonight."

"Really?"

"I'm going to keep my fingers crossed, but they are starting to board some flights. Who knows something just might happen."

"Do you want me to wait up for you?"

"No, it will probably be really late when I get home. Wait, are you even going to be home tonight?"

"I think so; we haven't received a case yet. Then again, the plan could always change."

"Of course." It was one of the challenges of being married to a profiler. His schedule was always unpredictable. There was no way to be sure when he was going to be called away for a case.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Her tone had sounded resenting.

"Everything is fine. Why?"

"Your tone just changed."

"I'm just tired. It's been a long week."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He knew it had to do with her father's heath.

"Not really." She was still processing the whole week.

"If you want to talk about it later, you know where to find me."

"Okay. Huh, it looks as if they are starting to board the plane."

"Then I might get to see you tonight?" Reid asked as a smile crept onto his face. He really wanted to see her.

"Maybe. Hey, I have to go. I'll call you later."

"Sure."

"Love you."

"Love you too. Bye." He hung up the phone and noticed that Morgan was smiling. "What?" Reid asked annoyed.

"Nothing. You're just a lovesick puppy." Reid glared at him.

Mattie sat in her window seat staring out at nothing in particular. Her mind was preoccupied with the events of the week. She knew her father was dying, but it was worse to see him actually sick and the life starting to drain out of him.

* * *

_Mattie finished cleaning up the kitchen and went upstairs to check on her father. She had just brought him back home from the hospital after a new round of chemo. She knocked on the door, before entering. "Dad?"_

"_I'm up honey." Mattie's father said as he sat up in bed reading the newspaper._

"_How are you feeling?" She asked as she sat in the chair next to the bed._

"_A little tired, but fine otherwise." He said._

"_Do you want anything?"_

_Her father put his newspaper down and looked at Mattie. "Matilda, stop treating me like a baby."_

"_I'm sorry. I didn't think I was." Her voice was quiet, almost breathless._

"_No, I'm sorry. All you have done is come here and help me out. I'm just…"_

"_I know dad. I know."_

"_Why don't you tell me about how things are with Spencer?"_

_Mattie smiled. "That might take awhile."_

"_Well, we have all day. We might as well start somewhere." Mattie smiled and started to talk about her married life._

Mattie knew her father was scared. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but she could just tell. She wished it wasn't happening, but the world didn't follow the rules of what we want.

* * *

Reid woke up when he felt a head on his chest and an arm wrapped around him. "Hey, you're home." Mattie nodded her head and held on to Spencer a little tighter. He ran a hand threw her hair. "How was the trip?"

Mattie let out a sigh. She knew that she should probably get everything off her chest by talking about it. "I hate that he is dying."

Spencer wrapped his arms around her. "I know." Spencer never really had anyone close to him die before. His grandparents had died when he was young, but that was it. When his father left, it was like he had died but that wasn't the same.

"How was your week?" Mattie asked. She wanted to talk about something other than her past week.

Reid let out a groan. "Long. If we ever have kids, I swear that we should keep them on a leash."

Mattie laughed. "Why on a leash?"

"That way, we'll be able to keep a closer eye on them." The latest case had dealt with children being kidnapped.

"Well, that might work with a toddler, but never with a teenager."

"You're probably right."

"I don't think child services would even permit you around children. Let alone, tie them on a leash."

"Ha ha ha. Very funny."

"Thank you. I try to be."

"You're welcome." Mattie's comment started to make him think. He opened his eyes and looked at his wife. "You don't think I would make a good father."

She knew he was overanalyzing her comment because he was half asleep. "You'd make a great father." Mattie gave him a sweet kiss.

They had never talked about kids before. "Do you want kids?"

"Eventually." He looked nervous at the thought of kids. The 'Reid affect', as Hotch called it was no secret. "Don't worry. I'm happy with it just being us right now."

Reid closed his eyes content with where the conversation was. Plus, at two in the morning he wasn't much of a talker. "Before I forget there is a message for you on the machine, something about publishing a paper."

Mattie shot up. "What?!" She quickly ran to check and see what the message was.

"Honey?" He sat up as Mattie started to jump on the bed in excitement.

"The _Journal of Organic Chemistry_ wants to publish my paper!" He blankly stared at her. "It is only one of the best places to have a paper published!" She deeply kissed him and continued to jump on the bed. She was much too happy with excitement.

"That's great." Her grabbed her and pulled her down so that she was lying next to him. "I'm so happy for you. Now what does that exactly mean?"

She rolled her eyes. Mattie knew her husband's brain was only functional when he was awake. "It means that your wife is brilliant. It's not as if just anyone gets their paper published by the _Journal of Organic Chemistry_."

"As if I didn't already know that you are brilliant and beautiful."

"It also means that my work is going to be read by some of the best in their field." She giggled with excitement.

"Honey, that's amazing." Reid was more than partially awake, so he actually understood what she meant and what an amazing opportunity it was for Mattie. "We should do something to celebrate."

"I completely agree, but…" She yawned. The toll of the trip was finally hitting her. "Sorry."

"Okay sleepy head, close your eyes. We'll figure out something tomorrow." Mattie snuggled her head into Reid's chest and drifted off to sleep. He wrapped his arm around her and closed his eyes. It was good to have her back.


	2. Confrontations

**Chapter 2: Confrontations**

"_I'm a bitch. I'm a lover. I'm a child. I'm a mother. I'm a sinner. I'm a saint. I do not feel ashamed. I'm your health. I'm your dream. I'm nothing in between; you know you wouldn't want it any other way." –Bitch, Meredith Brooks_"

* * *

You could stay the night." David said as he lay in bed watching Amy redress.

Amy looked at David. "I don't have a change of clothes."

"You can get up early and go home to change."

"I could but I'm not going to." Amy finished buttoning her shirt and leaned over to give David a kiss. He wasn't interested. "Stop your whining."

He looked at her. "I'm not." He grabbed his boxers off the floor and slipped them on before getting out of the bed and heading into the kitchen.

Amy followed David and leaned in the kitchen doorway. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing. Come on talk to me."

David looked at Amy. "You hate talking."

"About myself yes, but this is about you. So, what is it?"

"This isn't about me. This is about _us_."

She looked at him bewildered. "What about us?"

"That's just it. There is no us."

"What are you talking about? Of course there is an us."

"Oh really, then why haven't we told anyone that we are a couple?"

"I thought we went over this already." Amy said annoyed.

"We haven't gone over anything. All you said is that you did not want anyone to know. Yet, you have not explained why."

"You want an explanation. Here it is: it is our business not the world's!"

David looked at Amy and shook his head. "That's not a reason. That's an excuse." He honestly felt sorry for the woman standing in front of him. He thought she was amazing, but she couldn't see it herself.

"Look, we have an arrangement. I come over and we have sex. What's so wrong with that?"

"Too much. I'll see you tomorrow." He patted her on the shoulder and went back to bed. Amy stood there a while thinking about what David had just said. It didn't make any sense to her so she went home.

* * *

"You don't seem happy." Mattie said as she watched Amy look into a microscope. For the entire day, Amy had been quieter than usual and appeared to be sulking. Shortly after getting married, Mattie had transferred to a university closer to Quantico and Amy had followed by applying for the position of Mattie's fellow.

"And you are too happy. Am I going to need to constantly carry sunglasses around now or are you going to eventually stop glowing?" Amy said avoiding the comment. In truth, she was still thinking about the night before.

"Sorry, I'm just excited."

"About?"

"My paper is going to be published in the _Journal of Organic Chemistry_."

"Nice. Congratulations."

"Thank you. So, why aren't you happy today?"

Amy looked surprised, but came up with an excuse. "I didn't sleep well; too many thoughts running in my mind." She wasn't ready to talk about her relationship, or lack of, with David just yet. Changing the subject, Amy said: "So…We never did get to try lighting those chemicals on fire."

Mattie looked at her, excitement in her eyes. "Let's go."

* * *

David looked at the two women standing in front of him. He was trying to convince himself that they were not insane. "Explain this to me again."

Mattie poured the chemicals from the beaker into a test tube and put it in a stand. "We heat the contents in the test tube and watch as it explodes."

There was no point in trying to convince himself that they weren't insane. The women obviously were. "Now, what part of this seems safe?"

"It's not going to be a big explosion, but to be on the safe side there is the wall." Mattie pointed at a cement wall with a glass window.

David looked at the wall then Mattie. "You two are insane. I'll be outside. Try not to kill yourselves." David shook his head and waited outside the glass room.

"Hey David, do you know where Mattie is?" Reid asked as he came into the lab. He was going to surprise her and take her to dinner.

David pointed to the glass room. "She's about to blow herself up with Amy. It should be very interesting."

"What?" Reid asked.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, there was a loud explosion. The two men looked at the now smoked fill glass room. Without a second thought, they ran in.

Inside and laying on their backs Mattie and Amy were laughing hysterically. Reid went up to Mattie and David to Amy.

"Are you okay?" Reid asked Mattie.

Mattie nodded her head and sat up. "Help me up, please?" He took her hand and pulled her up leading her outside the smoke filled room in the lab. She was still laughing.

"Are you okay?" He asked again.

She took her goggles off. She was so happy that she had worn them now. "I'm fine. My back will be sore tomorrow, but I'm fine."

Reid let out a deep breath of relief. "Don't do that again. Please. You scared me to death."

Mattie smiled. She loved how adorable her husband was when he was concerned about her. "Did I really scare you that much?"

"Yes. Please promise me that you will be careful."

"You're adorable when you are worried." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I promise to be careful."

* * *

Reid was still in bed when he heard Mattie throwing up. He got up and went into the bathroom where Mattie was leaning over the toilet expelling the contents of her stomach. He came over to her and gently rubbed her back. "Good morning honey."

"It's not a _good_ morning." Mattie said as she flushed the toilet. She rinsed out her mouth and headed back to bed.

Reid came over and sat next to her. "It can't be that bad of a morning."

"You can talk to me when you are vomiting. Stupid kids."

"What?"

"There was a student in one of my classes. He was sick the other week. I thought I took enough vitamins. I guess I was wrong."

"It's probably because of the trip and all of the stress that you've been under." He kissed her forehead. "You don't have a temperature."

"I just need to sleep."

"Are you going in today?" She shook her head. "Do you want me to stay home with you?"

Mattie smiled, "No, but thank you. You should go."

"Okay." He got off the bed and started to get ready for work as Mattie drifted back to sleep.

When Mattie woke up, a few hours later, she felt fine. She figured that Spencer must have been right. Maybe, she was just tired from the trip.

Mattie looked around the kitchen. She really needed to buy groceries. _What had Spencer been living off of?_ Mattie sat down and started to write a list of things needed in the house.

_Fruit, juice, baking soda, dish soap, toilet paper, tampons..._ That's when Mattie stopped writing her list. She thought about it. No, that was not a possibility. She grabbed her planner and looked at the calendar. Okay, she was late not terribly but still late. Who was she kidding? She was late.

* * *

"What I am doing here?" Amy asked as she sat down on the couch in Mattie and Reid's apartment. Mattie had been so secretive on the phone it was outlandish. Amy watched as Mattie paced in the room biting her nails. This was not normal behavior for Mattie. "Are you okay?"

"I…." She could not bring herself to say the words.

"I need more to work with if you want my help."

Mattie sank onto the couch with her face buried in her hands. "I'm late."

"Oh…"Amy saw how upset Mattie was over the news. She wondered if her question would upset Mattie more. "Have you taken a test yet?" Mattie shook her head. "It could be nothing. Maybe you have the dates mixed up."

Mattie shook her head. "I double checked. I'm late. I'm never late. Even as a teenager, I was never once late."

Amy stood up. "Where's the nearest store around here?"

"There's one two blocks away and another on the corner of Maple and Canal."

"Okay, I'll be back."

Mattie nodded her head. When Amy was gone, she picked up the phone and called Reid. She got his voicemail. "Hey…" She had no idea of what to say. She just told the truth. "I just really wanted to talk to you. Call me back when you get the chance. I love you." She had tried not to sound distraught.

She hung up the phone and pulled her legs up close to her chest. She was scared. Yes, she wanted children, but that was in a couple of years. Not right this moment. She loved kids, especially when they belonged to someone else.

If anything, Mattie felt like curling up and crying. She couldn't tell you why. Mattie knew she should be happy. She was married to the love of her life. She also had a successful career. It wasn't as if, she were a teenager all alone in the world. Then why did she feel so horrible?

Amy's knock on the door distracted Mattie from all of the thoughts running through her head. She let Amy in and received a small paper bag. Mattie was so disconnected that she did not even notice the other bag that Amy had.

Mattie looked at the box in her hand. She read the instructions. They were easy enough to follow. She was waiting for the stick to change color when she came out of the bathroom and saw Amy sitting on the couch with an assortment of treats on the coffee table.

"We have m&m's, chocolate chip cookies, twizzlers, vanilla ice cream in the freezer, gummies of different types, and peeps. I don't know why they had peeps there; I thought they were only an Easter thing. Also, I had Netflicks movies in my car. So, I figured we could just have a girl's night or something similar to that." Amy said.

"I'll take a peep. Thank you for this." Nothing in the world could have made Mattie happier. Amy could have her strange moments, but she really was a great friend to have in a time of need.

Amy nodded. "What's the diagnosis doctor?"

Mattie looked down at the test. "I'm pregnant." She was scared to death and pregnant.

* * *

"Hey you called me. What's going on?" Reid asked as he stood in a police station.

"Where are you?" Mattie asked. She just wanted to know where he was and when he would be home.

"I'm in Oregon. I tried to call you earlier, but I kept losing reception."

"Oh…" Mattie withheld herself from breaking down and sobbing into her pillow. She wanted him there with her at that moment.

"Are you feeling better?"

"A little," she lied. She felt like crap, but that was partly because of all the junk food she had just ingested.

"Is everything okay?" He could tell that something was wrong.

"I just need to talk to you face to face."

"Okay. Um, hopefully I'll be back tomorrow. Are you sure you can't just tell me?"

"I'm positive. I just don't feel like doing a Nicole Riche."

"A who?"

"No one." She was so happy that Spencer didn't read about pop culture. Or else, he would have known then and there what she needed to tell him.

"I love you." Those were the most comforting words to Mattie's ears.

"Thank you. I love you too."

"Well, just don't forget that."

"It's not possible for me to forget."

"Good."

"Go on and catch the bad guy." She was sure that he needed to get back to his job.

"Yes ma'am." He hung up the phone and went back to looking at the map on the wall.

"Is Mattie feeling better?" Morgan asked as he walked up to Reid.

"She said, everything was fine," Reid said, unaware of how everything was about to change.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any music that may appear in this story.**


	3. News

**Chapter 3: News**

"_Fill my heart with gladness. Take away my sadness. Ease my troubles that's what you do." Have I Told You Lately, Van Morrison_

* * *

Mattie had the whole night planned out. She knew exactly what to say and do. It was going to be easy, well, at least she hoped. She just needed to tell Spencer that she was pregnant. _Yeah, what part of this plan was going to be easy?_

The only thing on Reid's mind was relaxing for the night. He was drained of energy from the latest case. He was so happy that he had tomorrow off. When Reid entered the apartment, he was caught off guard by Mattie's lips firmly pressed against his.

"Hi." Reid said once their lips separated.

"Hey."

"So, I take it that you missed me." He said noticing that her body was pinning him against the door. If her mood continued this way, he might just be able to muster up a little energy.

"Just a bit." She kissed him again and started to unbutton his shirt.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"That can wait. Right now, it's you and me in the tub." She had already started to lead him to the bathroom leaving him with no choice but to listen to her orders.

Reid and Mattie sat in the tub enjoying the water's calming and relaxing powers. He looked around the bathroom. Candles were illuminating the tiles and room creating a romantic atmosphere or maybe it was Joni Mitchell's voice playing in the background.

"How much thought did you put into this?" He asked.

"I thought an adequate amount of time. Why?"

"It was a good idea."

"Thank you." Mattie wanted to tell him, but she couldn't. "How was Oregon?"

"Cold and wet. What about you, did anything interesting happen?"

"Um…" Since he wasn't giving her an easy way out Mattie figured she would just tell him. "It appears as though we're going to need a leash."

"Why?" Reid asked completely lost.

"Well, child services called. They changed their minds about letting you near kids."

Reid's eyes widened as he realized what Mattie was actually saying. "Does this mean…. Are you…?"

She turned to look at him. "I'm pregnant." Mattie said and waited for Spencer to have a reaction. "Say something, please."

"Um, that was unexpected. Wow." It took him a while to fully process what she had just said. "How did this happen?" He didn't sound as if he was disappointed just shocked. He slightly blushed and grinned. "I remember _how_. When did you find out?"

"Wednesday."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I needed time to accept it. Moreover, telling you over the phone did not feel right. I wanted it to be special."

"It is. This is special." He pecked her lips.

"I'm scared."

"I know." Her head rested back on his chest. Even though he was shocked and surprised, a part of Spencer could not help but be excited about the news. "When you were sick was that morning sickness?"

"Apparently, and because I know you care so much, it's getting worse. The first day was heaven compared to now."

"I'm sorry."

"I'll forgive you eventually." He lightly chuckled to himself and rested his hand on Mattie's stomach. He tried to think when but nothing came to mind. "You're quiet."

"I'm just trying to figure out when I got you knocked up." He said kissing her shoulder reassuring her that he was not upset.

"It must have been before I left for Missouri. The doctor will be more precise."

It clicked in his head. About a week before she left, they had had a condom incident. "When's the appointment?"

"Monday."

"Can I come?"

"I'd love for you to come."

* * *

"You didn't come by this weekend." David said as he leaned against one of the counters in the lab.

"I wasn't sure if I was still invited." Amy said before looking into the microscope. Usually, she would have been mad about the conversation's topic, but nobody was around. "Plus, I wasn't really free this weekend."

"Did you do anything fun?"

"Helping plan a wedding isn't exactly fun. Especially after you've had to try on fifteen different dresses."

"Wedding?" David asked slightly intrigued.

"It's my cousin's wedding. She's finally getting married to her boyfriend of ten years."

"That's a long time." Amy nodded her head. "Are you in the wedding?"

"Maid of honor." Amy said unenthused.

"What are you wearing?" David asked trying to make small talk out of anything; he just wanted an excuse to be near Amy and hear her talk. He had missed her. He wouldn't say it out loud because he was worried that it would freak Amy out.

"Probably something by _Vera Wang_." Amy said avoiding his eyes. David knew that Amy was uncomfortable talking about the fact that she came from money.

He nodded his head. "What are you doing tonight?"

"I'm going out with some friends." He was slightly disappointed. Amy could see the disappointment in his eyes. "Maybe afterwards I could drop by?"

David shrugged his shoulders. "If you feel like it." David looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. "I have to go do my job and teach." Upon leaving M.I.T. David had received a teaching post at the university where Mattie and Amy now worked.

"Bye then." Amy bit her lower lip as she watched him turn to leave.

He turned around and looked at her. "Your still welcome at my apartment whenever you want to come." Amy nodded her head.

* * *

"Hotch, do you know where Reid is?" Morgan asked as he stuck his head into Hotch's office.

"He's coming in late this morning. Something about having a doctor's appointment." Hotch said. "What do you need?"

"Nothing. I was just catching up on some paper work and need him to review something for me." Morgan said before leaving Hotch's office. Morgan was flipping through a file on his desk when Reid walked in.

Reid walked over to his desk, sat down, and absent-mindedly looked at the wall in front of him. He had just gotten back from the doctors appointment with Mattie where they had received final conformation that she was indeed pregnant and three weeks along. Reid smiled to himself and shook his head in disbelief at how happy he was. Sure, he was slightly terrified…Okay it was a little more than slightly, but he was excited.

Morgan was finding it amusing that Reid was looking at the wall with a wide smile on his face. He looked like such a dork. "Lover boy come back to Earth." Reid did not respond. "Earth to Reid."

Reid turned his head and looked at Morgan. "What?"

"Hey, welcome back. I thought I'd lost you." Morgan said his voice dripping with sarcasm. Reid glared at Morgan and took the file that he was being handed. "Do those dates look correct to you?"

Reid looked over the dates. "Yeah." He handed the file back to Morgan and got out of his seat. "I'll be back. I just remembered that I needed to talk to Hotch." Morgan nodded his head and went back to his work, while Reid went to talk to Hotch.

"What do you need Reid?" Hotch asked when Reid knocked on the office door.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure." Reid closed the door and sat down. "What's going on?"

"I just thought I should tell you, since you are my boss that…"

"Reid, can you just get on with it?"

"Mattie is pregnant." Reid said with a smile on his face.

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you."

Hotch looked at the profiler sitting in front of him. "How are you doing?"

"I'm excited. Honestly, I'm scared to death. I'm scared that I'm going to ruin this child's life and that I'm going to be an awful parent. How do I know that I won't be the worst parent on the planet?"

Hotch smiled as he remembered how he once had a similar feeling. "The fact that you are asking yourself those questions proves that you're going to be a good parent. You are already worried about your kid, welcome to parenthood. Look, there are going to be moments that you feel inadequate but there are also going to be moments that make you feel as if you are the luckiest person on the planet; because your child did something that shows you did alright."

Reid nodded his head slightly understanding Hotch. "Thank you."

"Oh and Reid, if you are horrible you can always send your child to therapy." Reid laughed at the joke. He suddenly knew that everything was going to be just fine.

* * *

"Are you leaving?" David asked as he watched Amy digging through her purse.

She looked at him. "No, I just needed my toothbrush." She pulled her toothbrush out of her purse and went into the bathroom. "Can I use some toothpaste?"

"Yes." David replied slightly stunned.

"What?" Amy asked as she noticed David watching her finish brushing her teeth.

"Nothing. I'm just surprised."

"I thought about what you said and I decided maybe I was being a little unfair."

"A little?"

"Okay, more than a little."

"So, you are staying the whole night. No slipping off into the dark?"

Amy nodded her head. "If you don't believe me my change of clothes is in my bag on the couch."

"Okay."

Amy rinsed her mouth, went over to the bed, and crawled in. David crawled into bed beside her. To break the awkwardness, David put his arm around her. Amy scooted closer to David and went to sleep. It may have not been much, but it was a step.

* * *

**A/N: I am unsure of when the next update will be since I'm going into tech-week for a show. For non-theater types, this means two weeks of 10-hour rehearsal days. Then I go back to school. So, I'm going to be busy. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	4. Strange Behavior

**Chapter 4: Strange Behavior**

"_Just tighten those shoulders. Just clench your jaw till you frown. Just don't let go or you may drown." What You Own, Rent_

* * *

David cautiously looked around the lab to make sure no one was around before going over to Amy. "Hi."

Amy looked at him and smiled. "Hi. What's going on?" Ever since she had spent the night, Amy had opened up to David a bit more.

"I was wondering if I could take you to lunch."

"It's a possibility. What were you thinking?"

"The Thai place."

"Okay," Amy's cell started to ring. "Hold on." She told David and pushed the talk button. "Hello." Amy's eyes suddenly widened and she turned an ashy white.

"Are you okay?" David asked. She nodded her head and continued to listen to the voice on the other line.

"No, thank you Ellen. I'll see you later tonight." Amy hung up her phone and looked at David. "Sorry, I can't go to lunch." Amy looked panicked as she gathered up her stuff. "I'll see you later."

"Amy?"

"I can't believe her." Amy muttered to herself.

He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around so that she was facing him. "Amy, what's wrong?"

"I can't talk right now. I have to go." He let go of her. "I'll see you later." Amy rushed out of the lab.

* * *

"Are you feeling better?" Reid asked as Mattie came out of the bathroom. She had been vomiting again. Mattie nodded her and laid down on the couch next to Reid placing her head on his lap. He ran his hand through her hair. "I thought morning sickness was a _morning_ thing."

"It's supposed to be. Of course it is your child, who I doubt follows the rules."

"Very funny." He leaned down and kissed her. "Do you want tea or anything?"

"No." Mattie closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them.

"What's wrong? Are you going to be sick again?"

"No." She sat up and looked Spencer in the eyes. She knew this conversation was going to be touchy. "I know that this might be a hard conversation, but bare with me."

Reid uncomfortably shifted in his seat. "Okay…"

"I'm going to call my dad and tell him that I am pregnant. I was thinking if you wanted to, we could call your mom together."

"Um, I'll think about it."

"Of course, it was just an idea that came to me." She knew that Spencer was uncomfortable when talking about his mother.

* * *

Reid woke up in bed alone. Keeping his eyes closed he felt for the body of his wife. Her side of the bed was cold, which meant she must be already up. Giving into curiosity and the fact that he was already awake, Reid opened his eyes and looked at the clock. It was two am.

Groggily, Reid got out of bed and headed out of the bedroom. He found his wife in the kitchen baking.

"Morning." Mattie said as if it were halfway through the morning verses two. Reid looked at his wife and scratched his head. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just trying to figure out who you are and what you have done with my wife."

"I love you to." Mattie said as she turned off the timer and pulled a tray of blueberry muffins out of the oven. "Do you want one?"

"Not right now, but thank you for offering." Reid just watched Mattie completely confounded. "So, why are you baking at two in the morning?"

"Well first, I could not sleep and then I just felt inspired. We also have chocolate chip ones to."

"What?"

"We have chocolate chip, blueberry, and pumpkin muffins. You'll have to wait on the pumpkin muffins though, I just put them in."

"How long have you been up?"

"I don't know, maybe an hour or two. Do you think I should make cranberry muffins too?"

"Uh, no." Reid waved for Mattie to come over to him. He dared not go into the kitchen for fear of being enchanted by some invisible force, like Mattie, into baking.

"What's wrong?" Mattie asked as she came over to Reid.

"Nothing yet." When Mattie was in front of him, Reid wrapped his arms around her and held her. "Good morning."

"Good morning."

"How are you doing?"

"Great. What about you?"

"I'm good. It's a little early to be cooking, isn't it?"

"Baking, not cooking."

"I'm sorry, baking. I'm still asleep."

"That's okay. I guess it is a little early. I just had this adrenaline rush and needed to do something. Plus, muffins sound great in the morning, don't they?"

"Yes, they do, but I think the three of us need to go back to bed right now."

"Ah…How thoughtful of you." Mattie said condescendingly.

"Why do I have the feeling that you're mad at me?"

"I'm so happy that you picked up on that." Mattie detached herself from Reid and went back into the kitchen.

"Honey?"

"Go back to bed Spencer."

"Oh come on Mattie, it's two in the morning."

"I said, go back to bed. Or did you not hear me?" Mattie's voice was cruel and unfamiliar to Reid.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing is going on. Now, go back to bed."

Reid carefully ventured into the kitchen. "Mattie?'

"What? I thought you were going back to bed."

"I would go back to bed but I want you to tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to make muffins this morning. That's it."

"Okay." He thought about it. "What do you want me to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm here to help, what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. I'm just cleaning up."

"Why don't you let me clean up and you check the muffins?"

"That's not going to work. I'm still mad at you."

"I'm not trying to do anything. Go on, we don't want those muffins to burn."

"Fine. Just put the dishes in the dishwasher and I'll check on the muffins."

"I can do that." He figured that it would be best to just keep his mouth shut this time.

* * *

David's mouth dropped when Amy passed him in the hall. He did a quick turn and followed Amy. "So, what's with the outfit?"

"What are you talking about? I always wear heels and a skirt at work."

"Okay?" David grabbed Amy by the hand and pulled her into a nearby empty classroom.

"You're going to ruin my makeup." Amy said as David's lips left hers.

David took a step back and looked at Amy. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." Amy said as she leaned on one of the desks.

"So, what's with your makeover?"

Amy shook her head and left the room. She didn't have time for this.

David watched her walk out of the room. He was getting tired of this. If Amy wasn't open with him, he didn't know how much more of this he could take. He had been in some emotional spirals before. He just didn't want to have to go through that again.

David walked out of the classroom and into the hall. He was turning the corner when he saw Amy blankly staring at an older man in the hall. He took a step back and watched from behind the corner.

Amy blankly starred at the man standing in front of her. This was the only man who had ever been there for her. He was the man who had raised her.

"Miss Amy." The older man gently said. His voice was calming, comforting, and gentle.

Amy smiled. "Martin, haven't I told that you don't have to keep calling me that."

"I'm sorry Miss Amy. Old habits die hard."

Unexpectedly Amy gave the man a hug. "Is she here?" Martin nodded his head. Amy took a deep breath, let go of Martin, and pasted a fake smile on her face. "Well, I might as well get this over now." Martin watched as Amy, no longer the little girl he had watched over, walk down the hall. He only hoped that she could survive the next couple of weeks.

* * *

Hotch looked at the dead tired agent sitting next to him. "Just wait until the baby is in the house. The first couple months, you hardly get any sleep."

Reid drank some of his coffee. "I'll keep that in mind. When Hailey was pregnant, did she act weird or different?"

"Not really, except she would have huge cravings for strawberry ice cream. Why, is acting Mattie acting strange?"

"Is baking three different types of muffins at two in the morning strange enough?"

Hotch slightly laughed. "Wow, that's a new one."

"Only seven more months."

"Seven more months until what?" Morgan asked, accompanied by the rest of the team.

"Uh, Mattie is due in seven months." Reid said and quickly drank his coffee.

Morgan's mouth dropped, while JJ gave Reid a hug. "Congratulations! When did you find out?"

"I found out the day we got back from Oregon."

Snapping out of shock, Morgan said. "Congratulations man."

"Thanks."

"You know what this means right?"

"What?" Reid asked nervously.

"You get a new nickname."

"Oh no…"

* * *

"What did you do to your hair? It's black." Amy's mother asked as Amy walked over to the table at the restaurant.

"I dyed it about six months ago." Amy said before taking a seat. She did not hug her mother since it would be strange and unaccustomed.

"Well, it's…I'll come back to that." Diana Long said as she started to look for more imperfections in Amy's appearance.

"I'm sure you will." Amy muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Fine. You actually don't look bad."

"Thanks for the compliment mom." Amy said before taking a sip from her water glass.

"Honey, that wasn't a compliment."

"I know."

"It's just you look different. At least you still know how to where heels and a skirt. I'm sorry. I told myself I'd be better at this."

"Why? Everyone knows you're the perfectionist and I'm the daughter who can't do anything right."

"Amy I never said that."

"Right, I was imagining things again."

Diana decided to change the subject. "So, how's work?"

"You want to talk about my work?"

"Well, what else am I supposed to talk about?"

"I don't know. Why are you here?"

"Your cousin is getting married."

"Yeah I know. I'm her maid of honor. You still haven't answered my question."

"I wanted to see you. Is it a crime."

Amy slightly laughed. "Mom, I haven't seen you in a year and a half and when you do call we barely even talk."

"Well, I'm trying to be more present in your life. Where are you going?" Diana asked as Amy stood up.

Amy's stare was both hard and cold. "You sent me away to boarding school because you did not want to raise me. You walked out of my life before I can even remember. I think it's a bit late to be walking back in. I'll see you at the wedding."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry, it took so long to update. Life has gone crazy. I'll try to get back into a regular scheduel of updating. **


	5. Blast From the Past

**Chapter 5: Blast From the Past**

"Baby, you're bad news." Portions for Foxes, Rilo Kiley

**AN: This chapter is going to be mostly focused on David and Amy. Enjoy!**

--

Reid was walking towards Mattie's lab when Amy came out. She glared at Reid. "Thank you." She said sarcastically.

"Um, I'm not sure what I've done." Reid said.

"You've ruined Mattie, thus my job. I can't work with her when she's like this. I'm blaming you."

"Why are you blaming me?"

"You're the one who got her pregnant and made her hormonal. Her mood switches like every ten seconds." Reid tried to speak, but Amy stopped him. "Don't even try to justify anything. Just try to bring her back to herself." Amy walked away shaking her head.

Reid walked to the lab door and took a deep breath preparing himself for what was ahead. He knew that Mattie's moods had been all over the map lately; he had just hoped that it was hormones and would past soon. He opened the door and walked into the lab.

Mattie was sitting at a table grading papers, so Spencer thought that he was safe. He walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hi."

Mattie looked up from her stack of papers. "Uh… What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick you up."

"Then you didn't get my message."

"No, what's going on?"

"I'm working late. You should probably go home."

"Do you want me to go get food and come back?"

"I already ate."

"I'll see you at home then."

"Night."

"Goodnight then."

--

"No, don't worry about it Ellen. I completely understand. It's not a problem." Amy said into her phone while walking out the door of the science building. "Yeah, I'm heading over there right now. See you when you get back." Amy hung up her cell and headed to her car.

She was unlocking the car door when two hands went over eyes. "Guess who?"

"David!" Amy turned around and looked at David. "You scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry, do you want to grab some dinner."

"Actually, I have to go try on a dress." David looked curious. "My cousin, Ellen, is out of town and she needs me to check that her dress proportions are right."

"So, you are going to try on her dress."

"Yeah, we're the same size so it works."

"Can I come? Or is that some kind of bad luck charm?"

"I'd have to be the bride for it to be bad luck." Amy shrugged her shoulders "I guess you can come."

--

"So, you can't laugh if I look horrible." Amy said before coming out of the dressing room.

"I doubt that you'll look horrible." David said. He turned to the dressmaker. "I'm sure the dress is beautiful."

"So, what do you think?" Amy asked as she stood in a strapless white dress with a fitted bodice and ball gown skirt. David looked at her and his mouth dropped. "Do I look that bad?"

"No, you look beautiful."

Amy slightly blushed. "Thank you."

The dressmaker came over to Amy. "Are there any problems with the dress?"

"No, it's perfect."

"Good." She looked Amy over. "The skirts a little long. Do you want me to bring it up?"

"You know what, let's wait until the actual bride tries on the dress. She might kill me if I bring it up too high."

"Of course. When you are done with the dress, just hang it up in the back. There's a mirror over on the wall if you wanted to take a look." The woman said before heading over to the counter.

"Okay." Amy went to take a look in the mirror. She knew it wasn't her dress, but she just wanted to get a picture of what it looked like. It had been years since she had worn a wedding dress, but that was a different time in her life. "Hmm…"

"What?" David asked.

"I don't really think it looks that good on me."

"You are joking right." David said.

"I mean it's gorgeous, but I think it's more Ellen's style that mine." Amy started to head back to the changing room. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay," David said. If he hadn't have been waiting he probably wouldn't have noticed the man who walked into the shop.

The man walked over to the counter and handed the woman a ticket. "I'll have the suit out in just a second Mr. Cranwell."

"Thank you." The man said with a thick British accent. The man leaned up against the counter as the woman went into the back. He was athletically built, tall, and had black hair. "Are you getting married?" The man asked David.

"No." David said. "You?"

"No, I'm just picking up a suit for a friend's wedding."

"Okay ready to go…" Amy started to say and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes were fixed on the man who had walked into the shop. "Edward…" She appeared as though she had just seen a ghost.

The man who had spoken with a British accent, Edward Cranwell, gazed intently on Amy. "Amy." David looked between Edward and Amy completely confused. Finally, Edward spoke. " You look good."

"Thank you." Amy said. "I…" She looked at David. "We should probably go. I'll see you around Edward."

"Of course." Edward said.

The entire car ride back to the parking lot, Amy didn't speak. As David got out of Amy's car, he said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. No. I don't know."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now, maybe later. You know, I think I just want to go home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," David said.

--

Mattie gently shook Reid awake. "Spencer…"

Spencer sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine."

"Oh, then what's going on?" Reid then noticed the tears streaming down Mattie's face. "If everything's fine, why are you crying?"

Mattie wrapped her arms around Reid. "I've been absolutely horrible lately. I'm sorry."

"You haven't been horrible. Maybe a little moody, but not horrible."

"I'm sorry, I am so sorry." Mattie said through sobbing.

"Matilda, your pregnant. I expect you to be hormonal. Otherwise I'd be worried."

"The other day, I wasn't mad. I was just…"

"Honey, don't worry about it."

"It's just, I hate it when we fight. I hate when we don't talk and everything between us is distant."

"Well, I'm not very fond of it either but it happens." He kissed her and wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "I love you, even when you are hormonal and crying. Nothing is going to change that."

Mattie smiled. She felt a little less guilty about being so moody lately. She gave Spencer a sweet kiss. "Thank you for being so wonderful and understanding."

"I understand the wonderful part, but I don't know about the understanding part. I mean you did wake me up. I think that I'm entitled to some type compensation." Spencer said with a suggestive smirk before moving his lips down Mattie's neck.

"Well, I guess it has been awhile." Mattie said giving into Spencer's invitation.

--

"Hi Ellen." Amy said. "Now, please correct me if I'm wrong or hallucinating, but is Edward Cranwell Paul's best man?"

"Uh, Amy neither one of us wanted to hurt you if that's what your thinking."

"No, I'm not thinking that at all."

"Good. It's just… Yes, Edward is Paul's best man. At first he was going to ask Brian, but they really aren't as close as they use to be. I hope you understand."

"Yes, I completely understand. I just have to explain everything to my boyfriend. Oh, this is going to be fun." Amy said as she lay back on her bed.

"I'm so sorry Amy."

"No, don't worry about it. I guess we would have run into each other one of these days. It's only been two years. I'll see you when you get back."

"Of course. Again Amy, I'm sorry." Ellen said before hanging up.

Amy stared at the ceiling mulling over what to say. _David, look the guy we ran into at the shop is my ex-fiancé._ Who was she kidding? That would never work.

--

Amy knew it was a long shot and that he probably wouldn't be there but she still checked. He had been there and she had called his room. He said yes to her invitation for coffee.

So here she was in the café across the street drinking a latte trying to justify what she was doing. The truth was, she didn't even know what she was doing. Amy turned her head as the door opened. She saw him and he saw her.

Amy got up from her seat uncertain of what to do next. "Hi." She said when he came over with a coffee in hand.

"Hi." Neither was sure of what to say. "Do you mind if I take a seat?"

"No, not at all." Amy sat down across from him.

"You hair is different."

"Yeah, I cut it and dyed it."

"I like it."

"Thank you. You look…"

"The same?"

Amy blushed from embarrassment. "Sorry."

"It's okay. You know, I can't say that I'm surprised you called."

"Really."

"I figured an awkward meeting like that, you'd eventually find me."

"I guess, you could say I was a bit surprised."

"It's understandable. I was a bit surprised as well. What did you want to talk about anyways?"

"To be honest, I didn't really have a plan. I guess I just wanted to make sure that you weren't some illusion I made up."

Edward nodded his head. Truth be told he had almost called her, but decided not to. "Well, why don't we start easy? How have you been?"

"I've been good. Are you just in the states for the wedding?"

"No, I'm actually thinking of moving to New York."

"Why New York?"

"It where a branch of the company is."

"You hate New York."

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "Some things change."

Amy nodded her head. Yes, things had obviously changed.


	6. Love, Baby

**Chapter 6: Love, Baby **

_"You have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by."__-__James Barrie_

* * *

"Please Spencer." Mattie pleaded with her husband.

"No." Reid said as he put on his shirt for the day. He was still persistent in answer from the day before.

"Why not?" Mattie asked as she finished brushing her teeth.

"Honey, I think it is great that your paper was published and is getting so much acknowledgement in the world of science."

"Then why don't you want to come?"

"I'm going to be bored and completely out of my zone if I come."

Mattie laughed at the statement and came over to him. She helped with fixing his tie. "I doubt that you would be out of your zone. You can talk with the physic professors."

"Usually, I'd be very interested but I don't do well in those types of situations. I'll either be speechless or rambling." She was giving him that look that told him he had a weak argument. "Please don't make me go."

Mattie put her arms around Spencer's neck. "Why don't you tell me what's really bothering you?"

It always amazed Spencer how Mattie could get into his head and tell that something was bothering him. He had no idea how she did it. He took a deep breath. "I don't have a decent answer."

Mattie nodded her head. "Okay, you don't have to come, but if you change your mind I would greatly appreciate it if you came with me."

"Are you trying to guilt me into coming?"

"Is it working?"

"Yes. Fine, I'll come."

"Thank you! I promise if it's terrible we'll leave."

"Sure. Now, if you don't mind I have to go to work." He gave her a kiss. "I'll see you later."

"Be careful."

"I will." With that Reid was off to work and Mattie proceeded to get ready.

* * *

Amy walked into David's office where he was taking apart a computer. He only looked up when she sat on the counter. "Hi."

Amy looked down at the magazine in her hands. "Um, this is for you." David looked at Amy and the magazine she held. He took it and looked at the page she had marked with a post it. He looked at the picture of the model, at Amy, and then at the picture again. He was unsure of what to make it of it. "I was eighteen when that was taken."

David sat down and scratched his head. "Okay, you're going to have to explain this to me."

"I told you my parents sent me off to boarding school when I was fairly young, which is true. Along with boarding school, I started to model. I traveled all over. That's how I met Edward. He was at one of my fashion shows."

"Edward, as in the guy we ran into yesterday?"

"Yes." Amy took a deep breath. "Edward and I became more than friends. We…"

"Amy I don't need to hear this."

Amy smiled, but it faded. "No, I want to tell you this. Edward is my ex-fiancé." David blankly stared at Amy, trying to comprehend what she had just said. "I don't expect you to understand, but if you can will you put up with me for a little awhile?"

David looked at Amy and went over to her. Seeing how vulnerable Amy was, David gently intertwined his hand with hers.

* * *

Mattie looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a burgundy dress with a plummeting but modest v-neck line. Mattie figured that this was probably the last time she would be able to wear the dress for awhile. Luckily, the dress was loose enough that her developing baby bump did not strain the fabric. She finished her makeup, grabbed her keys, and headed out the door.

"You're looking very beautiful tonight Mattie." Morgan said as Mattie came into the building.

"Thank you Morgan."

"Congratulations by the way. Do you know if you're having a girl or a boy yet?"

"Not yet, but I have an appointment on Friday. I hope that we will know by then. Speaking of which, do you know where I could possibly find the daddy to be?"

"I'm right behind you." Reid said as he fixed his bow tie. He gently kissed Mattie on the cheek. "You look gorgeous."

She turned to look at Reid. "Thank you. Are you almost ready to go?"

"I'm all yours." Reid took the keys in Mattie's hand. "I forgot to tell you that I'm driving."

"What? Why?"

"Well, I just don't think it would be good for you to drive tonight."

"I'm not so pregnant that I can't drive." Mattie said feeling rather insulted by what her husband had just eluded.

"I never said that. I just think it would be better that I drive since it is your paper that is being honored tonight."

"Fine, but you're getting off easy."

"You don't think I know that." Reid looked at Morgan, who was just about to bust out loud laughing. "Good-night Morgan."

"Night Dr. LSP." Morgan said instantly receiving a glare from Reid.

Mattie looked at Morgan and then Reid, confused. "What does 'LSP' stand for?" She asked as Morgan walked away.

"Love-sick-puppy." Reid said.

* * *

"Maybe we should just go." Mattie said as she stood in the foyer of the building.

Reid looked at her. "Hey, what's going on?"

"I just don't think I want to go."

Reid looked at his wife and secretly wondered if he could claim that she was suffering from temporary insanity. "We're kind of already here."

"I've changed my mind. Let's just go home. We can order Chinese and snuggle up on the couch together with a movie."

"Not a good enough argument."

"Please Spencer, can we just leave."

Her puppy eyes were almost enough to make him give in. "Matilda, if you don't go to this you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me I know." She studied his face trying to figure out what he was talking about. "I have an idea. Why don't we go in and if you're not enjoying yourself in twenty minutes we'll leave."

"Make it ten."

"My final offer is fifteen."

"Fine." Mattie said giving in. She took Spencer's hand and they headed into the party.

"Ah, there she is Professor Adams." One of the board members of university said as Mattie and Reid came into the room. "Matilda, you look lovely tonight."

"Thank you Professor Peterson."

"Please it's John." John looked at the group of men to whom he had just been speaking. "Gentlemen, I'm sure you are all familiar with Professor Adams' latest publication."

All the men nodded their heads and began an intense conversation with Mattie. Reid stood there listening to the conversation that Mattie was having with the group of scientists. He was confident that Mattie's insecurities from earlier had disappeared by now. He wished that he could put something into the conversation, but he had never been strong in chemistry now physics that was a different story.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be back in a few minutes." Reid said a suitable pause in the conversation. He looked at Mattie. "Do you want me to get you anything to drink when I come back?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks." Mattie said before continuing her conversation.

Reid quietly moved out of the circle and away from the conversation. He went into the lobby pretending to be looking for the bathroom. He figured that he would just wait a few minutes before heading back into the party.

After a reasonable amount of time, he headed back into the party and ordered a brandy at the bar. Then he sat at an empty table and watched how enthusiastic Mattie got in her conversation. He was so content that he did not notice an elderly man who sat down at the table. "How long have you kids been married?"

"Sorry?" Reid said changing his attention to the man sitting at the table with him.

"I asked how long have you two kids been married." The man said motioning to Mattie.

"How did you know we were married?"

"Please. I've been around the block a few times to know when a man looks at woman and is in love with her. Moreover, you are wearing a wedding ring. Unless, she not your wife but a mistress on the side."

"She_ is my wife_. We've been married almost a year and a half."

"Ah, you're barely beginning your life. To be young and in love, there is nothing better than that."

Reid couldn't tell why but he found the man to be highly interesting and amusing. "What about you sir, are you married?"

"I was for sixty-five years. No, my wife will have been dead three years this fall."

"I'm sorry." Reid said. He could not imagine his life without Mattie. Let alone what it would be like to lose her.

"Don't be. She's in a better place now." Reid was unsure of what to say to the man. He could not relate to the pain the man had suffered from losing his wife. The man looked at Reid. "So your wife what field of science is she in?"

"Matilda, my wife, is a chemist."

"What about you? Are you in the science field?"

"Well, I…" Reid tried to figure out how best to say what he did. "I have my physics and mathematics degrees but I'm not a practicing physicist at the moment. I'm working for the F.B.I."

The man nodded his head. "Physics, I know a thing or two about that."

Mattie looked around and smiled as she saw Spencer talking to an elderly scientist. It was nice to see Spencer enjoying himself at the party.

* * *

"Thank you." Mattie said as they walked into the apartment.

"For what?" Reid asked confused.

"For making me go and for being there tonight. It meant a lot to me."

Reid plopped down on the couch exhausted. "You're welcome."

Mattie sat down next to Spencer. "Did you have a fun time?"

"Yeah, I actually did." Reid looked at Mattie. "The physicist I was talking to was rather amusing."

"Really? What did you two talk about?"

Reid smirked at Mattie's surprise. "Well, first he was talking about love and marriage. Then we started talking about physics. It was nice to just talk science instead of profiling for a change."

"Do you miss it?"

Reid was caught off guard by Mattie's question. He had long ago accepted that Mattie asked direct questions, but somehow it still always surprised him. "Do I miss working in a scientific field?" He blinked a few times and took a deep breath. "Sometimes. I miss how simple it was. There are times I can't believe some of the things I have seen and I want to quit. What I've come to realize is that I can't leave the B.A.U. I enjoy the fact that I can bring hope back to a family. I'd be miserable as a professor."

Mattie nodded her head. She understood where Spencer was coming from. "I'll accept that, but what regret were you talking about?"

"Uh…I was just saying it so that you would go tonight."

"Thanks."

"Any time."

"Let's go to bed. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Reid smiled at the mention of tomorrow. He got up and helped Mattie up. "So, are you thinking we have a little girl or boy?"

"I don't know but our baby is definitely starting to be active."

"What do you mean?" Mattie took Spencer's hand and placed it on her growing stomach. Reid was confused until he felt what he perceived to be a kick. Reid's eyes widened. He had just felt his baby kicking. "When did this start?"

"The baby has been kicking all day."

"Wow. That's amazing." Reid kneeled down in front on Mattie and repositioned his hands on her abdomen.

"When I saw you today the baby started to kick like crazy." Mattie said. Reid closed his eyes wrapped his arms around Mattie and rested his head against her stomach. It was after a few moments that Mattie felt moist liquid splashing against her and it was wasn't coming from her eyes. Instead, it was coming from Spencer. "Hey I already called the rights to being the hormonal one." Mattie kindly said.

"I'm sorry." Reid stood up but kept his arms wrapped around Mattie. "I'm just the luckiest man on the planet." Mattie just held Spencer's body tight against hers.

* * *

"How's the morning sickness been Mattie?" The doctor asked, as Mattie lay down on the examination table.

"It's getting better." Mattie's voice jumped up when a cold gel was squeezed onto to her bare abdomen.

"Sorry about that." The doctor said.

"It's okay." Mattie said as she held Spencer's hand in anticipation.

The doctor moved the probe around on Mattie's stomach until she got a picture on the sonogram. She turned the screen so that Mattie and Spencer could see the picture. "Your baby has a healthy heart beat." The doctor said.

Mattie promised herself that she was not going to be emotional. Yet, reason did not consider her hormones. Mattie could not help that her eyes glistened. However, Mattie's emotions were nothing in comparison to Spencer. Spencer had the proudest and happiest expression on his face.

The doctor froze and printed the picture. "Do you want to know the baby's sex?" Both of the parents to be nodded their heads in anticipation.

After twenty minutes and not being able to get the baby to turn, they were still unable to decipher the baby's sex. However, Mattie and Spencer were able to take home multiple pictures of their baby.

"If we have a girl I want to name her Ava or Ave." Mattie blurted out unexpectedly as she walked back to the car with Spencer. They were both still in awe from the ultrasound.

Spencer looked at his wife caught off guard and confused. "When you say Ave, do you mean as in Ave Maria?"

"Yeah. I've always liked the way it sounds."

"Is the name up for debate?"

"I'll think about it. Why, what's your suggestion?"

"If it's a boy, I was thinking Liam."

"I like the name Liam. So, you probably need to get back to work." Mattie said

"Actually, I took the day off. I want to show you something."

* * *

"Spencer, what are we doing here?" Mattie asked as Spencer parked the car in front of a two-story Victorian house in a beautiful neighborhood.

"Well, what do you think?"

"What do I think of what?" Mattie asked completely confused.

"The house." Reid got of the car and came around to Mattie's door.

She got out of the car even though she was still lost. "It's a beautiful house."

"Do you want to go inside?"

"What do you mean? This is someone's house. We can't just go inside."

Reid started to laugh. "You really don't get it do you?" Mattie shook her head. "This is our house, if you want it."

"What?" Mattie asked shocked.

"I started to look at houses awhile back because we can't raise a family in our tiny apartment. I saw this house and it was for sale."

"Did you buy it?"

"I wanted to wait until you saw the house before I finalized anything."

"Oh my God! You bought us a house." Mattie looked at Spencer then back at the house in shock. "Can we even afford this?"

"Remarkably, yes. The people who are selling the house are looking to move quickly so we are getting it for a bargain." Spencer took Mattie by the hand and led her up to the porch. He took out a key and unlocked the door.

The house opened up to a living room with a fireplace. To the left was a staircase leading upstairs. Straight ahead was the kitchen, which connected to a mudroom, small bathroom, and basement. To the left of the kitchen was a large dining room that also connected to the living room. In the dining room, there were French doors that opened up to an enclosed porch that had a view of the enormous backyard.

Up the staircase were two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a master bedroom. The master bedroom had a small staircase that lead up to a loft. The master bedroom also had a balcony attached to it.

Mattie looked at Spencer. "Do you like it?" He asked.

"Do I like it? I love it." She was still in shock. "I can't believe you did this." A few tears of joy streamed down Mattie's cheeks.

Spencer came over to Mattie and wrapped his arms around her. "So should we buy it?"

"Don't ask stupid questions that you know the answer to." Mattie said through tears as she buried her face in Spencer's shoulder. Spencer smiled and kissed the top of Mattie's head as he held her. Everything was falling into place perfectly.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: Sorry, applications for college have been getting in the way. I hoped you enjoyed. I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner. Also, there is a poll up for what you think the baby's name will be.**


	7. Slipping Away

**Chapter 7: Slipping Away**

"_Hello. Do you miss me? I hear you say you do, but not the way I'm missing you. What's new? How's the weather? Is it stormy where you are? You sound so close but it feels like you're so far. Oh, would it mean anything if you knew. What I'm left imagining in my mind…" Kiss the Rain, Billie Myers_

* * *

"How are my x-rays looking?" Mr. Adams asked as he sat in the doctor's office.

The doctor looked up from the file on his desk and closed it. "Mr. Adams."

"Patrick, we've watched our children grow up together. When did we start calling each other by our surnames?" Mr. Adams asked trying to cut the tension in the room.

"Noah, I'm going to tell the truth not only as a doctor but as a friend. I am so sorry."

"What do we do next? Do we still do the surgery?"

"Noah, if I do this surgery I cannot guarantee that the tumor won't grow back. Your recovery will be painful and tiring...."

"I think I know what you are saying but I'm not sure."

"I'm saying that you only have a couple of weeks maybe a month. Call your kids. Be with the ones in your life that you love."

Noah Adams nodded his head. He had been expecting this, but not now. He thought that he still had time. It had turned out that his time was running out faster than he had been anticipating.

* * *

"He bought you a house." David said as he and Mattie enjoyed lunch in her office.

"I still can't believe it!" Mattie said. It was still to new to her. "I feel like I'm in a dream." David smiled and pinched Mattie's arm. "What was that for?" Mattie asked.

"I was just proving that you are not sleeping. Although, it would be very awkward if I was in your dreams."

"Believe me, your not."

"Ouch!" David said with mocking tone of hurt as he smiled. "So, am I inheriting a niece or a nephew?"

"Don't know yet. The baby decided to be shy during the ultrasound."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Be nice. I'm hormonal. You don't want me mad at you."

"Of course. My apologizes."

"I'm actually surprised at you." David looked completely lost at Mattie's comment. "You haven't asked about Amy."

"I would ask about her… Why?" David said trying to play dumb.

"Don't try and lie to me. You like her."

"I enjoy her company."

"You are a terrible liar."

"Normal people find that to be a desirable quality."

"Are you saying that I'm not normal?"

"You're pregnant and hormonal. Of course you are not normal."

"Ouch. Harsh David." Mattie said through a laugh. "Just to let you know she's not here today."

"I know. She's meeting with her cousin about some wedding stuff." Mattie gasped and started to laugh as David turned bright red. He had not meant to give away that he knew where Amy was, thus a hint that they were involved. "Great…" David muttered under his breath.

"How long have you two been dating anyways?"

"How did you know we were involved?" David asked deflecting the question. He still was hazy about the details of his relationship with Amy.

"You just act different around her." The phone in Mattie's office rang and she picked it up. "Hello, this is the Chemistry department. How may I help you?"

"Matilda, it's me dad." Mr. Adams said on the other end of the line.

"Oh, hi dad." Mattie said a bit worried. "How are you doing?"

"Okay." He slightly lied. "How about you?"

"Pretty good."

"How's the baby?"

"Fine. I went for an ultrasound the other day. Everything looks good. The baby is perfectly healthy. I'll have to send you a picture."

"Do you know if you are having a girl or a boy yet?"

"Not yet. We couldn't get a clear picture." Mr. Adams smiled at hearing about his daughter's pregnancy. It gave him time to not think about why he had actually called her. "Was there something in particular that you wanted to talk about dad?"

"Well, honey I went to the doctor and it doesn't look good."

Mattie inhaled sharply. She feared this. "How bad is it dad?"

"It's not too bad yet."

"Dad, don't lie to me."

"You know that I would never ask you to come home—"

"Dad, if you need me I'll come home. Just tell me what's going on."

There was a long pause but when Mr. Adams spoke, his voice was soft and almost breathless. "Time is running out Matilda."

"I'll be there as soon as I can dad."

"Okay. Thank you. I love you."

"I love you too dad." Mattie said before she hung up. Mattie felt as though her air supply was being cut off. She absently stared at nothing in front of her. She let her head drop and took in a shaky breath. David came around to her and wrapped his arms around her.

* * *

Spencer neatly folded the clothes that Mattie threw onto the bed and packed her suitcase. He continued to watch her run around as she remembered things at the last minute. "Thanks for doing that." Mattie said as she noticed Spencer packing her suitcase.

He just nodded his head and continued to pack her things. He knew that Mattie was too unstable right now. He was worried about her. He remembered what she was like when her mother had died. To say the least, Mattie had been a mess.

Having everything that she needed, Mattie started to help Spencer pack her suitcase. "Do you have everything that you need?" He asked. Mattie nodded her head and stuffed her pantyhose into the suitcase. "I was thinking, if you want I can fly out later in the week."

"No. I mean…" She did not want to come off harsh. Trouble was she already had. "That's really considerate of you. It's just I don't think it would be a good idea."

"So, I'll be a burden." He did not know why he had to push it.

"That's not what I meant or said." Mattie said. She was under too much stress to have this argument. "You know what don't worry about taking me to the airport. I'm going to call a cab." Mattie picked up the phone and started to dial a number.

Spencer came over to Mattie and said: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Will you hang up the phone and let me take you to the airport?"

Mattie looked at her husband and hung up the phone. "I'm sorry to. I'm just stressed."

"I know." He gently pecked her lips and wrapped his arms around Mattie. Mattie tightly held onto him.

"I don't want to go." Spencer moved Mattie's chin up so he was looking her in the eyes. His expression was soft but confused. "I'm scared that he's going to die this time."

"We… You don't know what's going to happen."

"I know, it's just the last couple of years he's been getting worse and… I just don't know anymore. Tell me what to do."

"You've never been one to take orders." The way Mattie looked at him he was unsure of what to do. He had no idea of how to relate to what she was going through. He said the only logical thing that came to mind. He looked down ashamed of what he was going to say. "I never go see my mom because of how painful it is. I hate myself for that." He looked up at Mattie, her expression showed that she did not judge him. "You should go, because if you don't it will wear at you. You love your dad and he loves you. You just need to remember that."

* * *

When Mattie arrived at the house in St. Louis she was confused by its emptiness. No one was home. She was certain that she had seen a car in the driveway. There was no note on the family bulletin board. She was just about to call her sister when the front door opened. "Dad?" She asked.

Instead of being her father, it was her sister Sandy. Now if you placed the sisters next to each other, they wouldn't look like they were related in any way. Unlike Mattie, Sandy had blond hair and deep green eyes. The only physical similarities they had were that were both of athletic build. Otherwise, it looked as if Mattie was standing next to a Hollywood supermodel. "Matilda…" She looked at her watch. "I thought you were coming in later."

"I caught an earlier flight. Where is everyone?"

"Dad made me promise not to tell you until you got here."

"Where is he?"

"He's in the hospital."

"What happened? Is he okay?"

"He's doing fine. He just collapsed probably from the stress."

"Why didn't he want me to know?"

"He did not want you to be paranoid the entire plane ride home."

Mattie knew her father was right in not telling her, but it still bit at her. She looked at her sister. "Hey, come give me a hug."

Sandy gladly obliged, but she was more entranced with her little sister's pregnant belly. "I still can't believe your having a kid. It is just mind blowing."

"You should have seen me when I first found out. I was an absolute mess." Mattie laughed at the thought of it now. "How have you been?"

"I'm doing good."

"What about Alan?" Mattie was always cautious when asking about her sister's love life. For some reason, Sandy always had bad luck in the love department. Her past two marriages and divorces had proven that.

"Well, I'm happy that we prolonged the engagement. Don't get me wrong, I love Alan. It's just getting married last year would have been too rushed and I really want us to work."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that everything is going so well." Mattie was sincerely happy for her sister. Sandy deserved to be happy. Now that she had caught up with her sister, Mattie wondered about her other siblings. "Where are the boys?"

"They are at the hospital with dad." Mattie nodded her head. "We should probably go."

At the hospital, Mattie tried to remain as calm as possible. She knew that her father would not appreciate it if she babied him or worried too much. Luckily, her father was still asleep so Mattie had time to prepare herself.

Outside the room and drinking coffee were the twins, Zack and Andrew. The twins were like their sisters in having an athletic body types and that they were tall. They had brown hair, like Mattie and green eyes like Sandy.

Andy sat in a chair outside the room, while Zack leaned up against the wall opposite the room. They drank their coffees in an almost trance like silence. Mattie came up to Zack and put an arm around him. Zack looked up at his sister's unexpected touch and smiled at her. "Hey Mat." He gave her a hug.

"Hey yourself." She rested her head on his shoulder and caught Andy's gaze. "Hi." She mouthed at him. Andy smiled at her. Of the twins, Andy was the quieter one but very insightful. "So, what is this that I hear about you calling a particular senator _Big Bird_?" Mattie asked Zack.

Zack's face automatically pleaded guilty as he turned a deep shade of scarlet. "It was an interview that went bad to say the least. What can I say, I'm a reporter not a saint."

"Clearly." She gave him a reassuring pat. Mattie changed her attention to Andy. "What about you? Where have you recently been taking overpowering beautiful pictures?"

"Cambodia." Andy said. He was a photographer for National Geographic and always traveling off to exciting and exotic places. "I'll show you some pictures once we get back to the house." A smile crept over Andy's face. "What about you? Aren't you supposed to have pictures of the niece or is it a nephew?"

"I don't know yet. However, I do have pictures." Mattie took a picture out her purse and handed it to Andy.

Andy looked at the picture. "It looks like you."

Zack took the picture and tilted his head to the side. "Or maybe the _wiz kid_."

"The '_wiz kid_,' is my husband and his name is Spencer Reid." Mattie said annoyed.

"Yeah, I still remember him as the _wiz kid_."

"Be nice to her boys." Sandy said.

A cloud of uncomfortable silence suddenly surrounded the siblings. Their small talk was finished and the only thing to talk about was the obvious. However, none of them wanted to talk about that.

* * *

Reid listened to Mattie's cell ring again. As he got the voicemail, again, he hung up the phone. He put his cell in his pocket and tried to focus on the case. He took a sip of coffee and took his cell out again. He pressed the redial number and waited for the tone to leave a message. "Hi honey, it me…again. When you get this message, please call me. I love you. Please call me." Reid closed his cell phone. He felt better now. He started to pace and took out his phone again.

"Reid, give her a chance to check her phone." Morgan said as he noticed Reid pacing.

Reid put his cell away and leaned against the edge of the table letting his head hang. "You know, that is what I kept telling myself the first two days."

Morgan looked up at the statement. "Reid, come on man, she's going to call back. She is probably tired and forgot to charge her phone." He said trying to sooth the scared look in Reid's eyes.

"I know, it's just I'm worried about her."

"Well, her dad's sick. She has the right to be scared."

"Morgan, he's not just sick." Morgan looked confused at the piece of information Reid was barely sharing. "He's dying."

"Reid, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Reid nodded his head. After a long pause he said: "Mattie was young when her mom died. Her mother's death was unexpected, a car accident. When she died Mattie completely shut down. I know everyone handles grief differently, but… I don't know if she can handle losing her dad right now."

Morgan took out his cell and called Garcia. "Goddess of knowledge, how can I help you?"

"Hey sweets I need you to do a favor for me."

"Name it." Garcia said noting the urgency in Morgan's voice.

"I need to know the hospital and room number of where Matilda's dad is staying?"

"I'm on it." Garcia pressed a few keys and looked over the data. "Noah Adams is at a hospital in St. Louis in the…"

"What is it Garcia?" Morgan asked.

"He's in the cancer ward, the diagnosis is terminal. The room number is 555-755-9847."

"Thanks love." Morgan said as he handed the number he had scribbled down to Reid.

"Sure." Garcia said before hanging up the phone.

"Thank you." Reid said as Morgan gave him the number.

"Just call her." Morgan said.

Reid smiled and called the number. "Hello." Spencer recognized the voice of Zack.

"Hi Zack, it's me Spencer. Is Mattie there by any chance?"

"Uh, no she's not. She is with Sandy right now. Do you want me to deliver a message for you?"

"Can you just tell her to call me when she gets the chance?"

"Sure."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. By the way, congratulations on the kid."

"Thank you." Spencer said, but he sensed that there was a double meaning to that comment. "I'll talk to you later." Spencer said before hanging up. He felt better now. "What?" Spencer asked, when he caught Morgan watching him.

"I'm just surprised you aren't texting her right now."

"I'm not that desperate." Spencer said. He did not mention that it had already crossed his mind.

* * *

"Why did I just lie to your husband?" Zack asked as he hung up the phone.

Mattie looked at her brother. "I'll call him later."

"You didn't answer my question." Zack pointed out.

"I just don't feel like talking."

"He sounded worried."

"I think Spencer thinks I'm going to react the way I did after mom died." Zack nodded his head. He would admit that their mother's death was difficult to deal with. Mattie looked at her brother. "What was that comment about anyways?"

"What comment?" Zack asked feigning innocence.

"You know what I mean." Mattie said.

"I was really congratulating him. Honestly, I didn't think he had it in him to get you knocked up." Mattie glared at Zack as he smiled at her.

About an hour after Reid had called, Mattie did send Spencer a text message. "I'm fine Spencer. Love you." It made Spencer smile, but he really wanted to hear her voice.

* * *

**A/N: I know Mattie is being difficult but her attitude will be explained soon. By the way I'm not sure who is still reading this but I'm going to keep it up. The poll is still up on my profile if you have yet to vote. Happy Holidays!**


	8. Gone

**Chapter 8: Gone**

"_We're all so fragile. We're all so scared. You say you want to learn how to live your life without tears. But we've been trying to do that for thousands of years. So, go on and cry Ophelia. It's the only thing to do sometimes." Adam Cohn, Cry Ophelia _

* * *

"I'm not having this discussion with any of you." Mr. Adams sternly said to his children.

"Dad, it just doesn't make any sense." Andy said.

Mr. Adams could not help the feeling that came from the way his kids looked at him. "Fine, I stopped taking the pills because I don't want to be in pain or miss anything while I'm with all of you."

Sandy sat on the side of the bed. "Dad… Andy's point still makes more sense."

"Kids, I think it is time we got the elephant out of the room. I am dying." Everyone shifted uncomfortably. It was one thing to know it, but hearing it out loud was something else. "This gathering is for us to say goodbye. I know it is not easy. In fact, I don't want to go but it is time."

Zack refused to look at his father. Instead, he walked out of the room. Mattie followed her brother with her eyes and followed him outside the room. "Zachary." Mattie called after her brother as he walked across the bridge that connected the wing to the rest of the hospital. Zack stopped by the railing turned to look out the window and gripped the railing so tightly that his hands were turning white.

Zack opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it. He turned around and looked at Mattie keeping his grip on the railing. "Do you want to go get something to eat?"

"You want food?" Mattie asked confused.

"Yeah…"

"Okay, let's go get some food."

Zack sat in the hospital cafeteria with a tray of food in front of him. He nibbled at his fries while Mattie picked at her salad. "You should eat." Zack said. None of the siblings had really eaten anything the last couple of days.

"So, should you."

"Yeah, well I don't have a being growing inside me." Mattie looked at her brother. "I know why you are shutting Spencer out. You are scared. You did it when mom died. We all have our way of dealing; you just shut down and push people away until it is time to reboot. Just do me a favor Mat, don't push Spencer so hard that everything you have is gone."

Mattie really thought about what Zack had said before speaking. "If I shut people out, what do you do?"

"Sandy's mothering and comforting instincts kick in. Andy and I switch personalities. I become more observant and Andy starts talking fast similar to when he is nervous."

Mattie smiled. She knew what she had to do. "Don't eat my salad. I'll be back."

"Hey, greens aren't really my thing. Say hi to the _wiz kid_ for me."

Mattie walked out to the hospital courtyard, took out her phone, and called Spencer.

"Hey, I'm so glad that you called." Reid said his voice filled with relief.

Mattie let out a breath. "It's so wonderful to hear your voice. I'm sorry that I didn't call earlier."

"It's…" Well, it was not okay. She had been acting cruel to him.

"I know." Mattie said. "Spencer, I can't do this anymore."

Spencer's eyes grew wide. That phrase was the most horrible thing that could be hitting his ears. He sat down to keep from falling his legs were shaking terribly. "What are you saying Matilda?"

"I can't do this. It is excruciatingly painful and I don't know how much more I can take. Spencer, I love you and I would walk the world over for you."

"Honey… I don't know what you are saying." He was terrified at what he thought she was saying.

"What I am saying is that I can't keep pushing you out like this because of how much I love you. So, I am begging you from the bottom of my heart please don't give up on me and leave. I love you and need you. We need you."

"Baby, I am _not _going to leave you. I could not live with myself if I left. I may not always understand you, which is partially why I am in love with you, but I'll always be there for you." Spencer let out the breath he had been holding and noticed his legs were no longer shaking. He lay back on his bed and let his body relax. "Don't scare me like that again."

"What do you mean?" Mattie asked confused.

"I thought you were going to tell me that you wanted out."

"I could never do that. That would be torture and I'm not interested in that."

"How are you?"

"I'm doing okay. I haven't really been sleeping, but it's just been an emotionally draining week. You?"

"I've been packing all day. The apartment is starting to get empty."

"You didn't have work?"

"Yeah, Hotch gave us the day off. We got back from a case at one this morning."

"I'm going to help you move when I get back."

"I know. How is the baby? Is he or she still causing trouble?"

"Of course the baby is causing trouble. The baby does have your DNA. No, the baby has been fine a little cranky but nothing I can't handle."

Reid smiled. "I miss you."

"Same here."

"How's your dad doing?"

"He stopped taking his medication. So, the cancer is killing him faster."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I."

* * *

"You should go home and get some sleep." Andy told Mattie as she sat in a chair in the hospital room.

"I'm fine." Mattie said.

"You haven't had a good night's sleep in… well, it's been awhile."

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."

"I'm not the only one who is worried about you."

"Andrew, really I am fine."

"Whatever. I am going home. Try and get some sleep."

"I will." Mattie said and watched her brother walk out of the room. Now, she was left alone with her father. Mattie turned her attention towards him and watched as he slept. He was hooked up to multiple machines and his skin was turning an ashen color. Somehow, Mattie fell asleep to the sound of beeping machines. When she woke up her father was sitting up and reading.

"Good morning sleepyhead." Mr. Adams said.

"What are you reading?" Mattie asked her father.

"Mary Shelley."

"_Frankenstein_. That's fitting."

"Sorry?"

"Well, it is the story of Dr. Frankenstein who challenges the higher power and creates a monster that he can never love."

"Would you mind?" Mr. Adams asked as he held the book out to Mattie.

Mattie took the book and read from the page: _"It was on a dreary night of November that beheld the accomplishment of my toils."_

As Mattie was reading to her father, Dr. Patrick Walters came into the room. "Hey Noah how are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm doing okay." Mr. Adams.

Dr. Walters looked at Mattie. "It's scary, but I remember when you were a baby Matilda."

Mattie smiled. "Hi Dr. Walters."

"How far along are you?" Dr. Walters asked.

"I'm almost seventeen weeks."

"Do you know the baby's sex yet?"

"No, the baby wouldn't cooperate during my last ultra-sound."

Dr. Walters' smiled. "I have an idea."

"I can't believe you talked me into this." Mattie said as she lay down and Dr. Walters moved a transducer over her stomach.

"Just think of it as a way for me to see my grandchild." Mr. Adams said. He smiled as an image came up. "Oh, gorgeous. Your baby is absolutely gorgeous." Mattie noticed a few tears in her dad's eyes.

"Do you want to see the sex?" Dr. Walters asked.

"I think my husband would kill me and being a profiler he could probably get away with it." Mattie joked. "You know what. I'll close my eyes so you can see dad." Mattie closed her eyes and waited as Dr. Walters and father looked for the baby's sex. Eventually, they did get a clear picture.

Mattie felt her father's lips touch her forehead. "You have a beautiful child honey. I know you'll make a wonderful mother."

Tears welled up in Mattie's eyes as she opened them. She wrapped her arms around her father's neck. "Please don't die. Not now." Mr. Adams wrapped his arms around Mattie and held her.

* * *

"I hate funerals." Mattie muttered as she tried tying the sash on her dress again. She kept messing up whenever she tried to tie it.

Spencer watched Mattie out the corner of his eye as he was fixing his tie. He was worried about her. He got up from the bed, where he had been sitting, and went over to her. "Do you mind?" Reid asked as he offered to tie the sash.

Mattie shook her head and turned so that Reid could tie the sash. "Thank you." She said after he had finished. Reid nodded his head and gently turned Mattie so that he was looking her in the eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. Mattie closed her eyes and rested her head against Reid's chest. "Thank you for being here."

"You don't need to thank me for that." It was a given that Reid would come if Mattie's father died. He remembered when she had called. Her voice had been so quiet.

"I need to get downstairs to see if the boys are ready." Mattie said as she broke away from Spencer.

Reid nodded his head even though he knew that the boys probably did not need to be checked on. However, he understood that today was going to be harder than usual. Today he understood that Mattie needed her siblings and he was second in line.

* * *

All of the siblings stood next to the grave of their father barely hearing the words of the priest as he spoke. Mattie gently held Spencer's hand it was her only comfort for the moment.

"Ashes to ashes and dust to dust." The words struck a cord, but Mattie just watched as the casket was lowered into the ground. Her vision did not blur from tears. There was no type of moisture running down her cheeks. A part of her conscience wondered if it was okay not to cry.

Sandy went up the grave and threw a handful of dirt onto the casket, her face covered with tears. Next came the boys who started to cry as soon as they looked into the ground. Mattie let go of Spencer's hand and went over to her siblings. The boys pulled Mattie and Sandy into a group hug as they sobbed. Each of the siblings had tears, except for Mattie.

* * *

There was a reception for the funeral at the house made up of family members and friends who had come. There were less people at the reception than had been at the funeral. Mattie sat on a couch in the living room spacing out everything that surrounded her. Mattie came back to reality when she felt someone sit down next to her.

"I need you to eat something." Reid said as he handed Mattie a plate of food.

"I'm not hungry." Mattie said.

Reid looked Mattie in the eyes. "Don't make me the bad guy. All that I am asking is that you eat a little. If you don't eat for me, eat for the baby."

Mattie looked at Reid, shocked by how straightforward he was. "Okay." She said, giving in.

"Thank you." Reid said as Mattie took a bite of her food. She did not eat as much as he had wanted her to, but still she had eaten something. He felt a little better.

Mattie made her way into the kitchen and dumped her paper plate in the trash. Andy came over to Mattie and patted her on the shoulder. Mattie looked up at her brother and gently patted his cheek. "Hey sweetie," She said.

"You should go and get some sleep."

"You are probably right." Mattie said.

"Go on, nobody will mind."

"Thanks." Mattie said before going upstairs where she kicked off her shoes and pulled off her pantyhose. She lay down and curled up on the bed with a few tears streaming down her face.

"Have you seen Mattie?" Reid asked the siblings who were talking in a group.

"She's upstairs." Andy said with an expression that said to go check on her.

"Thanks." Reid said before he went upstairs.

Spencer gently closed the door when entering Mattie's room. He saw her lying on the bed curled up. He took off his shoes and placed his jacket and tie on the chair. Then he lay down next to Mattie wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.

All the denial and shock had hit Mattie hard and she was finally letting her emotions go. She let her body melt into Spencer's as she sobbed.

* * *

**A/N: Well, this is going to be it for awhile. I have finals next week and I am going o be studying! Thanks t all those who are still reading, it was nice to hear from you. Happy Holidays!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**


	9. Life Carries On

**Chapter 9: Life Carries On**

_"What do you do with the left over you? And how do you know, when to let go? Where does the good go, where does the good go?  
Look me in the eye and tell me you don't find me attractive. Look me in the heart and tell me you won't go." Where Deos the Good Go, Tegan and Sara_

* * *

Mattie opened her eyes and looked at her husband's sleeping face. She must have rolled over during the night because his arm was still wrapped around her. She took a deep breath of his scent and smiled. She really loved being able to breathe him in.

Mattie moved the hair that hung in Spencer's face to the side. He looked so peaceful as he slept. It was nice to see him so peaceful. Usually after a case, Spencer's face was a little sadder and he was quieter. She gently brushed her lips up against his and kissed him.

Before she realized it, Reid was kissing her back. His lips gently pressed against hers and he deepened the kiss. The kiss ended with Mattie wanting more and her breathing slightly labored. Reid smirked, but his eyes remained closed.

"Hey, you can't kiss me like that and pretend to be sleeping." Mattie complained.

"You were the one who kissed me first." He said before pecking Mattie's lips.

"Yeah, but it was your tongue that slipped into my mouth."

"I was just improvising." Reid said with a shrug.

"Not bad for being on the spot." Mattie said before snuggling her face into Reid's chest.

"How are you feeling?" He asked after a few minutes while his hand ran through her hair.

"Better." She honestly said. "Thanks for holding while I cried."

"I'll be there whenever I can."

"He got to see the baby's sex." Mattie said in a quieter voice at the bittersweet memory.

Reid's eye snapped open as he realized what that could possibly mean. He gently pulled away from Mattie so that he could look her in the face. "Well?" Reid excitedly asked.

"I don't know. I closed my eyes during the ultrasound." Mattie kissed Reid on the cheek. "Don't worry, we'll know soon enough." Reid dropped in head into the pillow with defeat. "You're really getting anxious about knowing aren't you?"

Reid looked at her. "Why aren't you anxious?"

"I figure, we'll find out when it's the right time. Plus, you are going to be a wonderful dad no matter what."

"I'm not worried about being a parent. Okay, I am a little worried but I know that you'll be around to keep me in line."

Mattie chuckled. "What makes you think I'm going to be better at parenting than you?"

"Let's just say it is an intuition."

"Well that's a horrible intuition." Mattie said slightly disappointed in Spencer.

"I'm sorry." Spencer said after a moment.

"It's okay." Mattie said before snuggling up to Spencer again. "Spencer."

"Yes,"

"Let's go home."

* * *

Amy did not know what she was doing. She did not know why she was having dinner with Edward. They were being friends, if that was a possibility. No, it had to be possible.

"Everything okay?" Edward asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?" Amy said.

"I don't know. Maybe it was the fact that you haven't touched your food or it could be how you keep taking a sip of your wine every two seconds." Edward took the bottle of wine and refilled Amy's glass for a second time. "You tell me."

Amy looked at Edward suspiciously. "How do you do that?"

"How do I do what?"

"How do you read my mind and know that there is something wrong without even asking?"

"It's a talent. Plus, I've had tons of experience with you."

Amy slightly blushed. "That's definitely true." She took a sip of her wine this time it was not to calm her nerves. Edward smiled at what Amy had referred to. "Looks like I'm not the only one blushing now." Amy said as she took a bite of her food.

"Oh, so you are eating now." Edward said deferring the subject.

"I used to eat back then to."

"Yes, you did. All of my friends were amazed that I found a model that did not have an eating disorder or a drug habit. Although, the more I think about it you were addicted to coffee."

"Well, you always did a good job of supplying me coffee." Amy took a deep sip of her wine. "I think I might be a bit tipsy."

"Oh, I think it's more than a bit."

Amy laughed. "Was this your plan all along?"

Edward smiled deviously. "Well, it was my intention to get you drunk, go back your or my place and have sex. Then, in the morning I was going to take you out to breakfast and suggest that we'd start going out and take things a little slower. Or we could just skip that part."

"Wow. That's quite a plan."

"Look, if I have overstepped my bounds I'm sorry. It was just an idea. It doesn't seem as if you're involved with anyone, unless the guy from the dress shop… I'm sorry I'm going to go. Order whatever you want it is on me." Edward stood up and walked to the desk, gave the waitress a wad of bills, and left the restaurant.

Amy sat at the table for a long time debating too many things. She took a deep drink from her glass finishing off the bottle and left the restaurant. She took a cab to her destination and knocked on a door. "Uh what are you doing here?" David asked half-asleep.

Amy leaned against the doorway. "I am drunk."

"I can see that."

"I know you're leaving soon. I was wondering if you would hold me tonight, if nothing else."

David moved Amy's hair behind her ears. "I can do that. Come on; let's get you some Aspirin and water then to bed." Amy nodded her head and started to walk forward before stumbling. David caught her and picked her up. "Maybe you should leave the walking to me."

"I think that's a good idea."

David held Amy as she lay in bed next to him. He felt her shaking and pulled the blanket up closer around them. Then he heard the whimpering and realized that Amy was crying. He gently rubbed her back and held her tightly.

* * *

"You owe me." Mattie said as they pulled up to the Hotchner house. Spencer parked the car and looked at Mattie. "You owe me." She repeated.

"I know that this is not the ideal night you had planned for but can you try to be somewhat happy?" Mattie blankly looked at Reid. "This wasn't my idea. Blame Hotch."

Mattie rolled her eyes and pasted a smile on her face. "Fine. I will be pleasant."

Reid ran his finger down Mattie's cheek. "I'm sorry. I promise that tomorrow night we will stay in, watch movies, and eat take-out."

"Okay," Mattie gently pecked Spencer on the lips. "Let's go before Morgan finds another reason to make a crack at our sex life." Reid scowled as he got out of the car. Mattie wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked up to the door. "Smile." Mattie said before knocking.

Hotch opened the door and greeted Mattie and Reid. "Come on in. May I take your coats?"

Mattie handed her coat over before four-year-old Jack ran over to his father. "Daddy! Daddy!"

Hotch put the coats in a closet before picking up Jack. "Jack can you say hi to Dr. Reid and Mrs. Reid?"

"Hello." Jack said and looked back at Hotch. "Mommy told me to tell you something…"

Hotch smiled. "Do you remember what mommy wanted?" Jack shook his head. "Okay, let's go ask mommy what she needed. Excuse me for a second."

Mattie slightly laughed when Hotch and Jack were gone. "What?" Spencer asked.

"Just an image of you in a couple of months came into my mind. Don't worry you were adorable." Mattie said before guiding Spencer into the house where the rest of the team was.

"Hey, Momma!" Morgan said the moment he saw Mattie.

"Hi Morgan." Mattie said. "How are you?"

"I'm good." He looked at her stomach. "May I?"

"Sure. My stomach is already a magnet."

Morgan knelt down and put a hand on Mattie's stomach before speaking to it. "Hey baby. This is your Uncle Derek." Mattie laughed. "Now, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to behave for your mother. She is a wonderful woman. When it comes to your daddy though be a little trouble maker."

"Hey!" Mattie said as she playfully smacked Morgan's shoulder. "Spencer is nervous enough about being a dad that he doesn't need you influencing our child to torment him."

"Fine." Morgan said rolling his eyes. "So, baby you need to behave because your mom says so and you always listen to your mom." He stood up.

"Done with your life lessons already?" Mattie asked with a smile.

"For the moment."

Suddenly Jack ran around the corner and hid behind a chair by Mattie and Morgan. "Shh, I'm hiding from my daddy."

"Why are you hiding?" Mattie asked.

"Shh!!!" Jack said as Hotch came around the corner. Jack jumped out and hugged Hotch's leg. "I got you Daddy."

Hotch smiled. "Yes you do. I thought you were going to go help mommy."

"I am." Jack said and ran off.

Curious, Mattie followed Jack and went into the kitchen. "Do you need any help Haley?"

"Sure." Haley looked around and said. "Can you chop up the carrots?"

Mattie started to chop the carrots when Jack came into the kitchen. "Mommy, are the cookies done yet?"

"Almost sweetie. Why don't you go check if there are cups on the table?" Jack nodded his head and ran off. Haley had noticed how Mattie watched her and Jack interact with each other. "Don't worry, you'll be running after yours soon."

Mattie smiled and one of her hands automatically rested on her stomach. "Well, I think this little one has awhile until he or she starts walking let alone running."

"You don't know the sex yet."

"No." Mattie said annoyed. "You are such a natural with him. You make it look so easy."

"It's not as easy as it looks. There are the days when he drives me insane, but I still love him more than I can verbalize."

* * *

David needed a break. He needed to get away from his chaotic life for awhile. Doing what he always did, David got in his car and drove to New York. He drove to the one place where his mind would be did not have to think about all the problems in his life.

David got out of his car and looked at the house in front of him. It was an old brown two-story house. He smiled and walked around to the driveway where an elder man was shoveling snow.

"Hey old man, you're going to kill yourself if you keep that up." David said.

The elder man looked at David and laughed. "Well, why don't you stop your yakking and get over here." David shrugged his shoulders and went up to the man, who gave him a long hug. "How are you doing kid?" The man asked after letting go of David.

"Not bad. Give me that." David took the snow shovel and started to clear the driveway of snow.

"Show off." The man chuckled. "Oh and kid just because you decided to shovel snow it does not mean that I'm too old to do it myself."

"I'm just helping you out." David said with a smirk.

"Do you still like your coffee black?" David nodded his head. "Okay, I'll be inside." The man said before heading to the back door of the house. "David, it's good to see you kid."

David smiled at the man. "It's good to be back, Grandpa."

Unlike many people, David actually enjoyed shoveling snow. It probably had something to do with the fact that it was one of his venting techniques from when he was younger.

_Twelve-year-old David sat in the police station for the fourth time. Since his mom's death, he had been getting into trouble. It ranged from running away from the foster families to getting into fights. Officer Jackson, the cop who had saved him that horrible night, had taken a special interest in David and was now keeping an eye on him. David sat in a chair his arms crossed looking at the wall. "Kid, I know you've been having a hard time, but you got to quit getting into fights."_

_David laughed and looked at Officer Jackson his expression dark. "You don't know what I am going through." Officer Jackson looked at him. "My mom is… dead. She…" He took a deep breath. David had avoided talking about what happened. It was all to fresh in his mind still. "Are you sure that you know what I am going through?"_

_Officer Jackson let out a slow breath. "You are right. I'm sorry." He looked at David. David was small for his age and his dirty blond hair hung in front of his brown eyes. He was a strong kid. "David, how well do you know your father's side of the family?"_

"_I don't." David replied. "Why?" His voice was shaking._

"_I found your grandfather. He lives an hour or two away. He wants to take you home with him. What do you think?" David was quiet. His hands gripped the chair. "I talked to him. He's a nice guy." Jackson said trying to reassure David that he would keep an eye on the situation._

"_I guess I could give it a shot."_

"_Good boy."_

_As a result, David went to live with his grandfather. David was shy about what had happened. He didn't talk much and to work out his frustrations in life, David would shovel snow._

_

* * *

_

"Where are you?" Mattie asked on the phone.

"I'm landing in fifteen minuets. I'm going to pick up some stuff at the store and then I'll be home. Why?"

"I need you to stay calm and remember that the baby and I are fine."

"What's going on?" Reid asked slowly trying to stay calm.

"To make a long story short I'm in the hospital."

"Matilda!"

"Breathe." Mattie waited until she had a feeling that Reid was calmer than before. "Are you breathing?"

"Yes," Reid said through gritted teeth. "Are you sure that everything is fine?"

"I'm positive."

"I'll be at the hospital soon."

Reid ran down the hall as fast as he could without hitting anyone. Although, Reid had been able to calm down for Mattie on the phone, the feeling had not lasted long. Yes, he was a paranoid father-to-be, but more than anything pure terror of something going wrong that pulsed through his blood. Reid found the exam room and Mattie sitting on a hospital examination table.

"Hey handsome, it's nice to see you."

"I'd say the same thing but you keep trying to give me a heart attack."

"Did I at least get close this time?" Mattie joked.

"Too close."

Mattie placed her hand on Spencer's cheek. "I told you not to worry. Everything is fine." In the background was the sound of a baby's heartbeat. "See, nothing to worry about."

Reid let his face sink into Mattie's hand. "I'm always worried about you two." His expression told her that there was more to the words than he was letting on.

"How bad was it?"

"It was not the worst, but that doesn't make it any better."

"Can I have a hug?" Mattie asked. She knew he needed a hug much more than she did. Reid put his arms around Mattie and his body became a little less tense. "I have a surprise for you?"

"What's that?" Reid asked highly interested as Mattie handed him a tape. He looked at the label. "Seriously?"

"We are going to watch it the moment we get home."

"First I'm making you dinner. Why don't I go see when I can get you out of here?" Mattie nodded her head and Spencer went over to the nurses' stations. He leaned up against the counter. "Hi, my wife is in the first exam room. Do you know if there is any way she'll be able to go home tonight?"

Before the nurse could respond a doctor writing in a chart asked. "Are you Mrs. Reid's husband?"

Reid looked at the doctor. "Yes. Are you my wife's doctor?"

"Yes. Has your wife been under any major stress lately?"

"Her father died last week, but that's about it. Why?"

"It's nothing serious now, but later in the pregnancy stress could become a problem."

"What kind of a problem?"

"In the worse case I'll just put your wife on bed rest for longer than usual. In the best case I'm worrying for nothing. Just try to keep her blood pressure low with a stress free environment. If she gets dizzy or exhausted faster than usual give me a call."

"Okay. Can I take her home tonight?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. I'll keep what you said in mind." Spencer said. Any calmness he had was gone. Now, he was more worried.

"Spencer, hurry up. I can't wait much longer." Mattie said as she sat on the couch in the living room in their new house.

Reid came out of the kitchen shaking his head. "I'm making you dinner and all I get is whining." Reid sat down on the couch next to Mattie. "The food is in the oven, so let's watch this." He pressed play on the remote and watched the recorded ultrasound. Reid's hand gently rubbed Mattie stomach. Reid's eyes widened as he saw the sex of the baby.

"So what do you think daddy?" Mattie whispered.

"I think we have a beautiful baby girl." Reid said with a smile before resting his against Mattie's shoulder and watching his baby girl.

* * *

A/N: The poll is closed now, but that doesn't mean that the reulsts will necessarily be "baby" Reid's name. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.


	10. Win or Lose

**Chapter 10: Win or Lose**

_"Si tú no me quieres dime lo que sientes. Pero dímelo de frente. Que a mí lo que me da rabia es eso de no saber lo que sientes." La Paga, Juanes_

* * *

"Matilda…" Spencer said as he nuzzled his face in Mattie's neck as she slept, "Time to wake up honey."

"Uh huh," Mattie muttered groggily. Instead of getting up, she rolled over and rested her head against Spencer's chest.

"I know that I am cuddly, but you need to get up."

"Why? It's Saturday." Mattie whined. She had a good reason to want to stay in bed and sleep. Unfortunately, the baby was not on the same sleep schedule as Mattie and decided to kick all night. As a result, Mattie had finally fallen asleep only a few hours ago.

"I know, I'm evil for getting you up so early." He said as before kissing her forehead.

"Evil is a bit strong, even for you. I'm blaming your daughter. She kept me up all night kicking."

Reid moved his hand down to Mattie's stomach. He spoke in a soft voice. "Hey baby girl, were you misbehaving last night? Did you keep mommy up all night? Now mommy is going to be cranky."

"I did not say that she was kicking now." Mattie grumbled.

Reid ignored Mattie's comment and continued to talk to her stomach. "I told you." Mattie rolled her eyes and got up taking a blanket with her. "Hey where are you going?"

"Downstairs." Mattie said as she walked out of the room and down the stairs. Curious, Spencer walked down the stairs to see Mattie lying on the couch. Mattie looked up at him. "What?"

He sat on the couch and let her legs rest over his lap. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Just as long as you let me sleep."

Reid smiled. "Sure. We'll unpack later." He lied down behind Mattie and put his arm around her waist. He gently rubbed her stomach under the blanket. "Let your mom sleep baby girl."

Mattie smiled and put her hand over his. "She likes your voice."

"How do you know?"

"She's calmed down."

"She probably just wanted our attention last night."

"She definitely had mine. You would think she at least be nice to me. Think about it I supply a nice and comfortable home for her to grow in. I'm giving up my body and—"

"And for that you are wonderful."

"You better believe it." Mattie looked at all the boxes in the living room. "How many more boxes are at the apartment?"

"Don't worry about it right now." Reid said remembering what the doctor said. "What's wrong?" Reid asked as he felt Mattie tensed. "Is she kicking you?"

"No. It just hurts to lie on my side." She shifted her body and lay on her back. "Do you want to talk about it?" Mattie knew there was more to Reid's desperate want of physical contact today. It was just his way of coping with the after affects of the case. When he didn't say anything, Mattie added. "I'm fine if you just want to hold me, but I think it would help if you let me in."

Reid took a deep breath. "I don't want my work to be part of our life."

"Honey, we don't have a choice in that matter. I knew that when I married you."

"It's just in my work I see things that are horrifying. I don't know how people do half the things they do. I don't want our children growing up being afraid of the world."

"That's not going to happen."

"How do you know that?"

"I know that because of who you are. There will be hard and good times, but you will always be the kind, gentle, and caring man I married. Nothing can change that. That's what will influence our family not your work." She gave him a sweet kiss. Reid kissed her back and let his lips move down her neck. "What were you saying about children? Do you have plans to expand our family that I don't know about?" Mattie asked surprised. Reid seemed to be terrified at the fact that he was going to be a father sooner than later, so she was curious that he wanted to expand on that.

"I was wondering when you were going to bring that up." Reid said as he rolled Mattie's shirt up to expose her stomach. He kissed her stomach trying to avoid the subject. "Maybe we should focus on trying to rock this little one to sleep. I'm sure we'd all feel better."

"I don't know." Mattie sly said. "I think I need more attention than the baby right now."

"Oh, is that right." Reid said before bring his lips back up to hers.

"Mmm hmm…"

* * *

_If anyone had remembered her, Amy would not be sitting in the back of a taxicab. She did not expect her parents to remember her, but she hoped someone would at least have checked the answering machine. She was not surprised, not really._

_As the cab stopped in front of the house Amy sat and looked out the window. "How much do I owe you?"_

"_Thirty-two fifty." The driver said._

"_I'll give you whatever the tab is and a hundred dollars if you drive me around the block once."_

"_It's your money kid." The driver said._

_Amy opened the door of the house and walked inside. The house was just as clean as always. The house was spotless, probably from the lack of people living there. The white couch only blended in with the carpet. As a child, Amy wondered what would happen if she took a glass of red wine a let it "accidentally" slip out of her hand onto the couch and carpet. Of course, it would force her mother to redo the living room and be around for a while._

_Amy walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took a water bottle out. She hopped up on the counter and took a drink. The house was dead quiet except for the grandfather clock ticking in the hall. Amy knew that Martin would be by the house in a couple of hours so she left him a note on the fridge and went upstairs to her room._

_It looked the same as when she had left it. Her canopy bed still had the satin sheets and her room was still yellow. She drew the shades so that it was completely dark and lay down. She officially hated jet lag. She had flown back from a boarding school in England to the States only to have no one who cared enough to pick her up at the airport._

_Amy woke up when someone opened the drapes letting light into her room. She rolled over and covered her head with a pillow. "I thought my note said __**not**__ to wake me up."_

"_It did Ms. Amy, but that was yesterday's note. Today is a new day." Martin said as he placed a tray next on the table next to Amy's bed. _

_Amy stuck her head out from under the pillow and saw a cup of coffee. She sat up and took a sip. "Speaking of a new day, are they back yet?"_

"_No your parents wanted me to give you this." He handed her a note. Amy took the note and read it. "Is everything alright miss?"_

"_Yes, of course it is. That will be all Martin. Thank you." Martin closed the door behind him as he left. Amy looked at the note once more. She crumbled it up and threw it in the trash before getting up, closing the drapes, and going back to bed. If her parents did not want to 'deal' with her why should Amy 'deal' with the world? She'd get up tomorrow._

_Amy, _

_Your father and I decided spontaneously to go to Italy. We'll see you over the summer break. I told Martin to make sure you did not burn down the house. If you do burn down the house, try to contain it to your room. I do not want to have to redo the house._

_Amy looked at the tray there was another envelope. She took it and pulled out a card. She smiled. If there was one person in the world who would remember and care, it was Martin. In her hand, Amy held a card that said, "Happy 17__th__ Birthday!!"_

"So what happened the other night?" David asked snapping Amy back to reality. She sat on a counter while he finished replacing a memory card in a computer.

"What do you mean?" Amy asked trying to avoid the conversation as much as possible.

David looked at her surprised. "What do I mean? What kind of a question is that?" He blinked a few times. "Let's see, you showed up at my apartment drunk which is bad enough already. Yet, the worst part was that you cried yourself to sleep." Amy did not say anything. "Why is it so damn hard for you to talk to me?" David asked.

"I was drunk. What do you expect?"

"Can you be a normal human being for once?" Amy looked startled by David's raised voice. "I get that something happened to you as a kid and that's why you keep everyone out. I get that. It's just… You build a billion walls for me to climb. I can't keep climbing them."

"I'm fine. I had a bad conversation involving sex with Edward." The moment Amy said that she wanted to take it back. It came out completely wrong.

David did not say anything for a long time. "You slept with Edward?"

"That's none of your business." Amy snapped.

David took that as a yes. "So that's what you do? When times get hard you always walk away."

"Can you stop being such a saint? It's annoying!" The two of them looked at each other. They had had their arguments before, but not like this. This was different. "We're done."

"Good. I was tired of being the understanding boyfriend." David said harshly. "Now get out." Amy stared at him frozen. This was not her David. "Am I going to have to throw you out? Leave!" Amy quickly got out of the room.

* * *

Reid was surprised, to say the least, when he saw Mattie walking onto a crime scene. He knew that it was a possibility that Mattie would be here because of the evidence matter. He just wished she would not have to see this.

He went over to Mattie as soon as he saw her walk into the house. "Uh, hi. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. Why?" Mattie asked she looked confused by his question. Then it clicked. "I'm here for the case not you. I'm sorry."

"Oh…"

She could tell that her presence was bothering him. She looked at Hotch. "Agent Hotchner, could you tell me where the body is?"

Hotch picked up the hint and had an agent lead Mattie to the body in the basement. Mattie could tell by the smell that it was going to be a horrible sight. She was right and slipped on a mask.

The body was submerged in a tank full of a clear liquid. The part of the body submerged in the liquid was completely white bone. The skin, tissue, muscles and blood were gone. The head, which was above the clear liquid, was still intact. Mattie noticed that tubes ran down from the ceiling into the tank. "Where do the tubes come from?"

"From what we can tell, the tubes are filled with water. They run down from the kitchen sink into the basement."

Mattie went up to the tank. Her mind was thinking in overdrive. She knew what had happened. As more water was added, the solution changed and became strong. The victim in question was literally disintegrated to death with acid. "It's Sulfuric acid. With this powerful a solution it burns your skin off." Mattie turned to an agent. "I'll need a sample to figure out the concentration."

After getting a sample, Mattie headed upstairs. She walked up to Hotch. "I should have the concentration to you in about an hour. Is there anything else that you need?"

"Do you know what happened?"

"Yeah." Mattie bit on her lips before saying. "The victim was submerged in a liquid and when water was added it became an acid. The acid was so powerful that his skin was burned off."

"What do you mean by burned off?" Hotch asked.

"Are you sure you want to hear the details?" Hotch nodded his head but looked puzzled at Mattie's question. "You know how sugar dissolves in water." Hotch nodded his head. "Imagine that but that it's your skin. It falls off and your blood vessels are next. The pain is so horrible that eventually you pass out and die. The acid acts like bleach."

"Thank you." Hotch said, even though his expression said he wished that he never knew.

"You're welcome. I'll have the results sent to Garcia." It was times like this that Mattie wished she never knew anything about chemistry or science.

Mattie stayed late at the lab working on finding the concentration and anything that would restore her faith in the good of science. She eventually found the concentration and sent it to Garcia.

She was so enthralled with her work that Mattie did not notice Spencer walk into the room and sit down next to her. "What's wrong?" Spencer asked as he wrapped his arms around Mattie who was softly crying.

"It's not fair."

"What's not fair?"

"Science is supposed to be this wonderful and magical thing. Yet, people use it for all the wrong reasons. It's not fair!"

Spencer smiled at Mattie's love for science. "You are right. It's not fair how people exploit science."

Mattie looked up to see Spencer's smiling face. "Why are you smiling? It's a horrible thing."

"It's just you." Mattie looked unsure if she was being insulted or complimented. "You love chemistry so much. The way you talk about it is as if it is your second husband. Unless, I'm your second husband," Spencer said making a joke at the end.

Mattie laughed and smiled, seeing Spencer's side. "Luckily for you, I only sleep with you. As seducing as science is it's just not worth it the morning after."

"Well, I've got a few things on my side." Spencer smiled and gently kissed Mattie.

"Do you need to get back to work?"

Spencer shook his head. "Hotch has the suspect in questioning."

"Good. You get to help me unpack." Reid groaned. "Don't pout. We're almost done unpacking. We've moved completely out of the apartment."

"I'm just complaining for no good reason." He stood up and helped Mattie up. "Come on, let's go home. We have to finish getting our new home in order."

* * *

David looked at the clock in front of him. He knew that he should not be drinking in his current emotional state. He would give her fifteen more minutes. He counted down the minutes. David suddenly felt a hand land on his shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry that I'm late." Said the woman to whom the hand belonged.

David stood up and gave the woman a hug. "Hey Ashley, how are you?"

"I'm good. I'd ask the same thing but I'm going to assume that looking like crap is part of the problem." David sat down and his head hung. "Dude, what happened? You haven't been this depressed since…I think middle school."

"I was dating this woman." Ashley nodded her head. She waited for David to continue. "To make a long story short I'm tired of being the good guy."

"So what, you want to me to make you a bad boy?" David nodded his head. Ashley laughed and placed her hand on David's cheek. "Honey, you can't just become a bad boy. It's not who you are. You have always been and always will be David, a good guy. It's just who you are."

David rested his head on the table. "Damn it!"

Ashley looked at David. "She really screwed you up."

David sat up. "Is there anything that you can do to make it go away?"

"Babe, it wouldn't be worth it." Ashley said knowing what David meant. "Come on let's play some pool. It will distract you for awhile."

"Yeah, that's a good distraction." David said sarcastically.

"It's less painful than meaningless sex."

"Thanks." David said realizing how great it was to have Ashley in his life. She always knew how to keep him from making horrible mistakes. No wonder she had been his best friend since childhood.

"Any time," Ashley said.

* * *

"Done," Reid said as he walked downstairs. He had just put the last box up in the study. "I'm going to organize the books later."

"Don't tell me you are going to color code the books." Mattie said.

"No…" Spencer said in a less than convincing tone. Mattie gave him that look. "Fine, I'm putting the books in chronological order of the year they were published." He looked so excited at the thought.

Mattie blinked her eyes. She loved her husband but sometimes the way his mind worked drove her insane. "Honey, could you just alphabetize the books?"

Reid thought about it. "I guess. That would make it easier for you to find books when you need them." He smiled. "Would you like the books alphabetized by author or title?"

"I'm going to say title. Can you put all my chemistry books on a separate self?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

"What do you have?" Reid asked as he sat down behind Mattie who was sorting through a box.

Mattie held up an old photo album. "Look what I found." She opened it to a page.

Spencer started to laugh. "Wow." He laughed again. "I can't believe that. I was such a scrawny kid."

"What are you talking about? You're still scrawny."

"Oh, I am?" Mattie smiled at him. "Fine, I'll let you have that one." Reid looked back at the photo album. He flipped the page.

"Uh, my hair; now that is scary." Mattie said.

"I won't disagree with you there." Reid said with a smile. He continued to look at the photo album. He finally came to one that he loved. It was one of Mattie during their senior year. Mattie had her hair braided in pigtails and her arms draped around Spencer and David. "I like this one."

"Personally," Mattie flipped back a few pages and pointed at one. It was of Spencer and David laughing. "I like this one."

Reid smiled and flipped through the album. "I can't believe that you still have all these."

"What can I say, I never throw pictures away." Mattie smiled as an idea that came to her. "We should put our first family picture up in the baby's room."

Reid nodded his head. "Once the house is organized and we're unpacked we should put up some pictures." He was quiet for a second. "I have a favor to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Next week, I would you like you to come to a meeting with me."

"Sure." Mattie said confused. "You want to tell me what's going on."

"I'll be clean for two years next week." Reid said looking at the floor. He preferred not to talk about his time in rehab. He was disappointed in himself for slipping into an addict. At first, Reid just used the drug to get rid of the nightmares He ended up needing the drug before he realized it.

"Hey look at me." Reid allowed Mattie to gently bring up his face. "I am so proud of you." She smiled at him. "Maybe you don't want to hear it, but I am."

"Thank you."

* * *

Amy ignored her phone as she sat on the couch in her apartment. She was mindlessly flipping through the channels. Nothing was on. The phone rang again; Amy picked it up after the fifth ring. "What?" She asked expecting it to be someone else.

"Hi Amy, it's me, Edward."

Amy looked at the phone confused and bit down on her lip. "Hi." She said slowly.

"I'm just calling to apologize for the other night. It was wrong of me. I had no right going there—"

"Edward, you don't need to apologize. I'm single; you had all the right to inquire." Amy said. She knew she should feel something about breaking up with David but she didn't. Maybe Amy was as numb as her family made her out to be.

"Oh…"

"Apology accepted, if it makes you feel any better." Amy knew that Edward suffered from a guilt complex.

"Thank you. It does help."

"Was there anything else you wanted?" Amy said. She felt the need to hang up and not be social today.

"I just wanted to call and say I'm sorry."

"You did that." Amy said figuring that Edward had something else on her mind.

"Honestly, I wanted to call and wish you happy birthday."

"Oh…right. Thank you." Amy said. In truth, she tried to ignore the fact that it was her birthday. She hated the day and did everything to forget about it. Amy thought about it, what was there to lose? "What are you doing tonight?"

* * *

**AN: Hello, readers. I know people hate Amy, I'm sorry I made her so. However, there is hope for her she may grow. Anyways, I am very happy that I finally got to use a Juanes song!! YAY!! If interested there is a rendition of _La Paga_ on Youtube with _The Black Eyed Pees_ if you want to listen to it. It's fun. Lyrics, if you are interested, mean: "If you don't love me tell me what you feel. But tell it to me straight up. It really makes me mad when I don't know how you feel." ****_La Paga_: "The Payback or Payment".**

**Disclaimer: Also I don't own lyrics from 10 years, Seasons to Cycle. "****You build a billon walls for me to climb." Or P!nk, Walk Away. "When times get hard you always walk away. Why is it so damn hard for you to talk to me?"**


	11. I'm Ready

**Chapter 11: I'm Ready **

"_Pictures of you. Pictures of me, remind us all of what we used to be." Pictures of You, The Last Goodnight_

* * *

"I'm sorry to bug everyone about this but I think my hormonally pregnant wife will kill me if I don't ask." Reid stated as he sat down in the conference room before the case debriefing.

Hotch chuckled at the comment. "I take it Mattie's hormones are stronger than usual."

Reid's expression confirmed it all. "I thought it was bad during the first trimester and for some reason I thought that things would be better. I just want to know who is planning on coming to the house warming."

"Haley, Jack, and myself will be coming." Hotch said.

"Garcia and I will be coming." Morgan said whose comment received hidden smiles.

"I'm planning on coming." Prentiss said.

Eventually everyone said, they were planning on coming to the party. "Thank you." Reid said. Now he could relax.

"So, Reid how does it feel? You own your own house now." Morgan said as he sat down with a cup of coffee.

"I'm completely comfortable with owning a house. It is all part of society's rules of 'growing up'. I'm not fully comfortable with the whole idea of a house 'warming'. I live in the house. Why do I have to have a warming for it?"

Everyone just smiled at Reid's confusion over, of all things, the idea of having a house warming. "It's just a tradition of growing up." Hotch said before giving J.J. the signal to start the debriefing.

"Last week, the Colbert family was found dead in their house. Yesterday, another family was found." J.J. pressed a button and images of another murdered family flashed across the screen.

"Are there any leads in the case?" Prentiss asked.

"No, but these have been found at each crime scene." J.J. responded and pressed a button. On the screen appeared two letters, one for each family and written by the father of the family.

"They're apology letters." Reid said. He read over them and it clicked in his head. "The letters are prompts from the un-sub."

"Why?" Prentiss asked.

"The un-sub is showing his remorse through a family member." Morgan said. "Or trying to justify their actions."

* * *

David looked at the paper in his hand. He had not thought about it in months. He had just been rummaging through an old box at his apartment when he found it. David thought about when he had first received the letter.

He had just received the news that Mattie was relocating to be closer to Reid. Mattie had just turned in her letter of resignation to M.I.T. along with Amy. They had both been offered positions at a local university. David had thought about leaving M.I.T. before the development with Amy. Then he was torn between following Amy or his dream job. Then, it was an easy decision…or a stupid one. He chose to chase after Amy and give a relationship a shot.

As David thought about the past, he came to a revelation. He had no reason to even be in West Virginia. There was nothing to keep him there anymore. Well, there was Mattie, Reid, and the baby but he would always be close to them no matter the mileage that was between them. They were the only family, besides his grandfather and incarcerated father, David had.

_What was he doing here?_ He was teaching at a university that was a little less than appealing. He was spoiled at M.I.T. There he was using his math and computer technology degrees. Here…David would rather not think about the present.

There was nothing holding him down here. He could just pick up, leave, and start over. David went over to the computer and went to a website. Now, he did not believe in signs, but if he ever did, than this was one. He glanced over the web page again to and something stuck out of all the information. _Needed: Professors in Advance Mathematics courses and Computer Technology._ There really was no reason not to throw his resume into the ring. He was qualified in teaching both subjects. _Why not give it a shot?_

David scrolled down the page to find an address and phone number. He copied down the information. He thought about his pro vs. con list. There really was no need to make one now. David smiled, he could teach where he was, back at M.I.T., or at Caltech. The first was not a choice, so he'd scratch it down. Boston was always a nice city to live in. He could get used to the haze in L.A. It appeared that his decision was already made. He was not only leaving but applying for jobs that were on the opposite sides of the country from each other.

He was almost as good as gone. Now, he just needed to tell Matilda and Spencer. That was going to be the hard part but he could, without a doubt, do it. They would understand. At least he believed that they would.

* * *

"Why did he do it?" Prentiss said as they flew back in the jet from their latest case. The case had gone bad. In the end, two more families were horrifically murdered. Another family had survived, except for the father. He had died defending his family.

"Do what?" Hotch asked.

"I don't understand the father's actions. Yes, he was trying to protect his family, but he risked all of their lives with that stunt he pulled. Why didn't he just wait until we were in? He saw us." Prentiss said.

Hotch answered. "He probably was worried we wouldn't get in in time."

"Still, he didn't have to risk his life."

Instead of Hotch answering, Reid did. "It doesn't matter. He was thinking as a father, not as a logical human being. All that was on his mind was the protection of his family. Nothing else registered in his brain."

Hotch looked at the young profiler. Reid had changed since he had started working on the team. Maybe, Reid's impending fatherhood helped with the insight but it was dead on.

Driving home from a case, Reid was usually able to clear his head. However, he was not able to do such a thing. The images were seared on his brain and would not disappear.

Reid parked the car and quietly snuck into the house. It was late and all the lights in the house were out. Reid went to the bathroom brushed his teeth and splashed some water on his face hoping that it would help him sleep better. He stripped down to boxers and a t-shirt before getting in bed. He wrapped his arms around Mattie letting his hand firmly rest on her stomach. He buried his face in her hair.

Mattie stirred from her slumber as a body laid down next her. Mattie stretched her arms back and gently patted Reid's hair. "Hi." She mumbled. "What time is it?"

"It's late. Just go back to sleep." Something in his voice lacked. "Sorry I woke you."

Mattie's eyes opened when she heard something that sounded like whimpering. She turned over and saw tears streaming down Spencer's face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "I don't know what I'd do without you two." Mattie wiped the tears away from Reid's face. He buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed.

She ran her hand through his hair. She didn't know what to do except hold him. As his crying died down, Mattie said. "I have an idea."

"What's that?" Reid asked. Mattie turned on the side table light and reached for the drawer. "Really?" Reid asked surprised.

"Yeah, it's been awhile." Mattie said. Soon, Reid's head rested on Mattie's shoulder and his hand on her stomach. All of his attention however, was captivated by Mattie's voice as she read from Charles Dickens' _Nicholas Nickleby_. "_It was then that I became acquainted with these circumstances from his own lips. There were no secrets then, for the brother and others knew them, but they were communicated to me not on this account, but because I was wanted…"_

As Mattie read, Reid closed his eyes and he started to drift off into a peaceful sleep. When Mattie saw that he was fast asleep, she put the book away, turned out the light, and laid her head down on the pillow. She looked at her husband's peaceful face and ran her fingers down his the side of his face. "Sweet dreams honey." She said before kissing his cheek. "I love you." Mattie closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Reid opened his eyes and looked at the clock. He had a little more time until he had to get up and go to work. He rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. It was not going to happen. He was about to get up when Mattie came into the room. "Hey you're up." Mattie said. She had a tray of food with her. Mattie sat on the side of the bed. "I was hoping you were going to sleep in more."

"I tried." He sat up. "What's with the tray?"

"I was bringing you breakfast in bed." She gave the tray to him.

Reid nodded his head. "Thank you." He took a bite of the eggs. "It's good."

"Good." Mattie ran a hand through Spencer's bed head hair. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," He said as he took another bite of food.

Mattie smiled and took Reid's free hand and placed it on her stomach. "It's about this time that she wakes up and wants everyone's attention." The baby kicked as if it were on cue. "See what I mean. Now, if she doesn't get my attention she has a big fit and starts kicking like crazy. If she gets my attention she calms down for a while."

Reid looked at Mattie's stomach and moved his face close to it. "Good morning baby girl. It's me, daddy." He smiled and rubbed Mattie's stomach. Reid brought his face up to Mattie's. "Thank you." He wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you." Tears streamed down his face.

Mattie wrapped her arms around him and rubbed his back. "Honey, it's going to be okay."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" David asked, as he over looked the experiment that he and Reid had built.

"Yeah, why?" Reid asked.

"I just don't want your calculations to be wrong and I accidentally kill you." David said. "If I kill you then Mattie will kill me and she'll go to prison. Then, your baby will grow up with no parents all because of me."

"That's kind of morbid."

"Right, I'm sorry. I'm just probably exaggerating."

"Are you okay?"

David nodded his head and smiled. "Let's do this."

Mattie parked her car in the driveway and got a bag of groceries out of the back. She was walking up the drive when she saw David and Reid. "Stop!" Reid was lying on top of a board of nails with a concrete block on top of him. David was wielding a sledgehammer that had been heading for Reid's body. "What are you doing?"

Reid put the block down and went over to Mattie, who looked like she was going to kill him. "We were just doing an experiment."

"Right, cause from where I am standing it looks as if you are trying to impale yourself."

"According to the laws of Physics if all my weight is evenly distributed then the cement block will break and I'll be unharmed." Reid said with a pleading smile.

"Fine, do your experiment." Reid kissed her cheek. "When you're done, you two can help me with the groceries. David, if you impale my husband I will be forced to kill you."

"I told you." David muttered to himself.

Mattie looked at her stomach. "Baby girl, please be a chemistry major in college."

"Hey, don't say that." Reid said defensively.

"Oh and why not?"

"How will I be able to entertain her if she doesn't like Physics?"

"Honey, she's not going to care about the laws of physics as a toddler. Do me a favor, next time please just build a hover board."

Reid nodded his head. "Okay, just don't ruin our daughter's mind with hatred of physics."

"Fine." Mattie rolled her eyes. "Go do your experiment."

David looked slightly uncomfortable and disgusted by the amount of mushy affection Reid and Mattie were sharing in their comments. "You two do realize that your child will probably end up hating science because of you two." Mattie and Reid glared at him. "I'm just saying. Spencer, hurry up and get over here so that I don't have to leave and puke while you two get a room."

"We already did that. Look at where it got me: pregnant." Mattie said before going inside the house.

"Wow. She's in a mood." David said.

Reid simply nodded his head. He would not argue that. He positioned himself and the block once more. "Go."

David swung the sledgehammer and hit the block. It broke but Spencer remained unharmed. "Okay, I didn't kill you. That saves me a lot of trouble with Mattie."

Reid sat up and put the broken block down. "That was fun." He took the board and placed it up against the house with the nails facing in. Afterwards, he walked towards the back of Mattie's car and grabbed a bag of groceries.

"I'm thinking of moving." David bluntly said.

"Where?"

"California." David said. Reid looked at him confused. "I applied for a job at Caltech."

Reid put the bag back down and leaned against the back of the car. "And?"

"I got offered a position." Reid nodded his head. "I don't know if I'll take it."

"You will." He picked up the bag again.

"I know that you want me to be part of the baby's life and I will. I'll still be Uncle David, just halfway across the country."

Reid nodded his head. "You better be or I'll have to kill you." They both laughed. "Caltech, that's wonderful. I'm sure that you'll be happy."

"I think the change will be good."

"Have you told her yet?" Reid asked referring to Mattie.

"No, I wanted to tell you first."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"What about the other her? Have you told her?"

David knew that Reid was referring to Amy. "No. I doubt she would even care."

"I don't know about that."

"It doesn't matter were done. We made our choices." David said ending that part of the conversation.

* * *

Reid opened the door when there was a knock and greeted the Hotchner family. "Hi. Come on in. Can I take your coats?"

Haley handed Reid her coat along with Jack's. Reid took the coats and put them in a closet. "I brought a pie."

"If you want, I'll take it and give it to Mattie."

"Actually, I'll take it to her." Haley said before taking the pie into the kitchen where Mattie was. Haley came into the kitchen and saw Mattie putting paper napkins out into the dining room. "Do you need any help?"

Mattie looked up at Haley. "Uh, no. Everything is out. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, I'm fine right now." Haley held up the pie. "Where do you want this?"

"I'll take it." Mattie walked into the kitchen and put the pie on the counter. "Thank you for the pie. You didn't need to bring it."

Haley smiled. "I love your house. It's beautiful."

"Thank you, but I'll admit that all the credit goes to Spencer. He picked out the house."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it was a complete surprise to me. I wasn't even thinking about houses and here he goes and buys one that's perfect." Mattie still found it amazing how perfectly everything had fallen in place when it came to the house. "Since everything is set up let's go into the living room where we can sit and talk." Mattie suggested.

Haley nodded her head and followed Mattie into the living room. Mattie started to rub her stomach before sitting down. "Kicking?" Haley asked gesturing to Mattie's stomach.

Mattie nodded her head. "She always wants my attention. Especially, if there are people around."

"Jack was the same way when I was pregnant with him." Haley said. At the mention of her son, Jack ran over to his mother and stretched his arms up towards her. Haley sat down and put Jack on her lap.

"It looks like not much has changed." Mattie said.

Haley chuckled. "Not really. Although, he loves hanging out with his daddy, don't you Jack?"

Jack excitedly nodded his head and looked at Mattie's stomach. "Mommy had me in her tummy. Do you have a baby in yours?"

Mattie smiled. "Yes I do, but she's a little girl. Do you want to feel her kicking?" Jack nodded his head and went over to Mattie. She took his hand and placed it on stomach. Jack's eyes widened when he felt the baby kick. "Did you feel her kick?" Jack nodded his head.

"When she is older can she come over to my house and play?"

Mattie smiled and chuckled as did all the other adults. "I'll have to check with your mommy but I think that can be arranged."

"Good." Jack said with a dimple smile.

* * *

Mattie and Reid looked at their house. "That's the last time we are ever having a party." Reid said.

Mattie laughed as she walked towards the kitchen. "It wasn't too bad. You make it sound like our house looks like a scene out of _Breakfast at Tiffany's_."

"No, it wasn't bad but our house looks as if we left it to a bunch of teens for the weekend. I'm just waiting for the cops to show up."

"That would require there to be unbearably loud music." Reid gave her a suspicious look. "What? I had my sister and brothers. I'm not all that innocent and perfect."

"As I am finding out." Reid said as he picked up plastic and paper and threw them in the trash.

"It was fun."

"Yes, I think the highlight of the party was Garcia talking about having children and Morgan's eyes popping out like a cartoon character." In the end, all of Reid's coworkers had shown up, which made Mattie happy.

"That was a classic moment." Mattie smiled as she loaded up the dishwasher. "Well, we already have play dates lined up with the Hotchners."

Reid smiled. "I think Jack wants to be your new best friend."

"Well, he's four and I have a job so I don't see us hanging out too much. I really like talking to Haley. Maybe it's the whole mom and being a woman thing but we really connected."

"What? You don't think men who are fathers can connect in the same way."

"Do you and Hotch connect in the same way?"

"Sometimes, but he is also my boss. So we don't exactly connect."

"Okay, make your excuses."

"It's not an excuse. Fine, you win."

"What, I win?" Mattie asked surprised.

"I'm just tired honey."

"Did you sleep last night?" Mattie knew that Reid was sometimes restless after a case and it affected his sleeping patterns.

"Yeah, I slept. I've just been emotionally out of it lately." He did not mention that part of his mind was preoccupied with the fact that one of his best friends was moving halfway across the country. He knew why David was leaving, but part of him wished that David wasn't leaving. Reid walked over to Mattie after picking up all the trash in the living room. He put the trash bag on the floor and wrapped his arms around Mattie from behind letting his chin rest on her shoulder. "Thanks for listening."

"I'm here for whenever you want to talk."

"I'm going to take out the trash." Mattie nodded her head. She watched Spencer walk out the door and counted his steps. She knew he was hiding something. She didn't know what and maybe a part of her didn't want to know. Mattie knew that the secret would come out in time.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I was** **Charles Dickens I'd be de dead. _Nicholas Nickleby_ is a great book by the way.**


	12. Turned Upside Down

**Chapter 12: Turned Upside Down **

_"In a way, I need a change from this burnout scene. Another time, another town, another everything, but it's always back to you." Shattered, O.A.R._

* * *

Cardboard boxes filled up David's apartment. There was a letter taped to the fridge that said he had the job at Caltech. Now, he was packing up the dishes in his cabinet. Bubble wrap promised that the glasses and mugs wouldn't break. He left a few in the cabinet just in case he had guests.

"What do you want me to do with these?" Ashley said from behind him.

David turned around and saw that she was holding books in her hands. If she was already starting on the bookshelves the rest of living room must be done. "There's a box in my bedroom. It has more books in it. Just put them in there." Ashley nodded her head. David turned to finish packing the box.

Ashley watched as David started to pack up another box. This wasn't the David that she grew up with. "Come on, were going out."

"What?" David asked. He turned around and saw that Ashley had already put on her leather jacket. "Let me get my coat." The way that Ashley looked after David reminded him of the day they became friends.

"_What are you doing on the ground?" The figure of a young girl stood over him. The shadow cast down on him._

_He sat up and buried the moan of his pain by digging his nails into his leg. "Usually, people say hello first."_

_The girl rolled her eyes. "Fine. Hello." She took a lollypop out of her pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth. "Do you need a hand up?"_

"_Sure." He gave her his hand and she helped him up._

"_You've got blood on your…" She gestured to his lip. _

_He wiped the blood away. "Thanks. I'm David and you are?"_

"_I didn't say, but I'll tell you anyway." She took out a second lollypop and gave it to David. "I'm Ashley." _

_He followed her as she walked away. "Hey, wait up!" Ashley slowed down and let David catch up to her. "Do you always show up and tend to leave unexpectedly?"_

"_Sorry, it's an old habit." She smiled at him. "Do you make it tendency to get into fights that you know that you won't win." She said referring to the fight that had left him on the ground with a bleeding lip and bruises forming on his face._

"_No, I just… I wanted to feel something is real. Getting in a fight helps the feeling last." David said bluntly. He avoided eye contact. He expected the girl to look at him horrified._

"_So, which house are you in?" She said ignoring what David had just said. Ashley understood what David had said and meant. _

"_Sorry?"_

"_Which foster home are you in?" She points to a white house on the corner. "I'm in that one."_

_"I don't know. With my luck I'll be bumped into a different one by the end of the hour."_

* * *

"So we need to talk." David said as he sat down in Mattie's lab.

"Shoot." Mattie said, as she was about to dilute a solution of Hydrochloric Acid.

"Could you put that stuff down? Just humor me." Mattie put the acid down. "For the baby and your sake I think you should sit down."

Mattie sat down with a smirk on her face. "Okay, what's on your agenda?"

"I'm leaving."

Mattie blinked a few times as if she was unsure that she had heard David correctly. "What?"

"I'm leaving at the end of the school year." According to Mattie's calculation, the end of the year was in two months.

"Where are you going to go?"

"Caltech."

"As in California?" David nodded his head. "Oh, wow."

"I know it's across the country and as I told Spencer, I'll still be in the baby's life."

"Why, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Besides you and Spencer I have no reason to be here. I'm bored. I never really wanted to teach here. I was spoiled at M.I.T. and I want to be somewhere like that." Mattie slowly nodded her head. She understood what he meant. "Don't you miss teaching at M.I.T.?"

"Yeah, I do. Sometimes, I want to just pack up and go back because I miss it so much. Then I remember that I'm married and I have to be an adult."

"Yeah, but you're happy here." David smiled. "Don't worry Matilda I won't disappear off the face of the earth."

"I don't know. California it's going to fall off into the ocean one of these days." Mattie joked. They both laughed then Mattie seriously said. "Is that the only reason you're leaving?"

"Yes," David said. He came around the table and gave her a hug. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"Hey, you're not leaving yet. Plus, it's not goodbye."

"Exactly." Mattie felt tears in her eyes but held them back. "You're part of my family, I could never say goodbye."

"If you ever pull something like this again, I'm going to have to yell at you."

"Yell at me?" David asked with a smile in his voice.

"Don't get me started."

* * *

Amy spun around in the chair a few times before looking back at the mirror. The hair dye was starting to come out again. "Just take it out." Amy said.

"What color do you want this time?"

"Nothing. I think I'll go natural for awhile."

"You're lucky that you never bleached your hair."

"I never really had to." Amy said as the woman did the final rinse on her hair. The black hair dye left her hair and went down the drain. Soon, only her natural hair color remained.

"Do you want me to cut it?"

"Could you layer it?" Amy's hair had grown a lot in the past months. It now came down below her shoulders.

Amy looked at herself in the mirror. It had been ages since she had seen herself in her natural hair color. Usually, she just put another henna and temporary dye over her hair as soon as her natural hair color started to show.

Soon, her hair was back to the way it had once looked. She tried to remember when she had started to dye her hair. It was after she stopped modeling. She remembered that. Her mind went blank.

"Thanks." She said before paying the woman and leaving the salon. She walked out to her car and drove to her next appointment for the day. She liked that her Saturday was fully packed. She drove up to a dress shop and went inside.

"Amy, your hair…" Ellen said as Amy walked into the dress shop. Ellen was trying on her wedding gown for any last adjustments.

"I know. It's back to normal." Amy said as she grabbed her dress off the rack.

"I like it."

"Thanks. I'm warming up to it again. It's been a while since it wasn't some crazy color." She went into the dressing room and put on the blue dress.

"Why did you change it?"

"I figured that it was about time." Amy said as she came out of the changing room in a midnight blue lame square neck gown with an empire waist and low back. "What do you think?" She asked as she took a double look in the mirror.

"It looks good. How do I look? This dress doesn't make me look fat does it?"

"Ellen, that is impossible. You look gorgeous, just like a bride should. You even have that pre-wedding glow going on. It's a good thing."

* * *

"You're quiet tonight." Reid said to Mattie as he drove the car down the highway.

"Sorry," Mattie said but she went back to being quiet.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Reid asked.

"David asked me a question and I can't get it out of my mind."

Reid glanced at Mattie. Getting answers out of her was like pulling teeth. "What did he ask you?"

"He asked me, if I missed teaching at M.I.T."

"What did you say?" Reid had an uneasy feeling about where the conversation was going.

"I told him the truth, I really miss it sometimes and I want to go back. Then I remember what I have now and the feeling goes away." Mattie let out a sigh. "He said I was happy."

"Are you?" Reid's stomach was starting to tie into knots.

"Yes, I am. I'm very happy but that doesn't mean I don't miss teaching at M.I.T."

"Do you ever think about going back?"

"Sometimes, but I can't. I left that behind." Mattie looked at Reid; his expression was hard to read, but she could tell that her comments were doing a number on him. "I love you and I'm not going away. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not."

"I like being stuck with you."

"Good." She put out her hand for his. He took her hand and she squeezed it tightly. "I hope I didn't scare you too much."

"No, just enough." Reid was quiet before saying. "We could go back to Boston if you wanted. I'm sure that with all of my degrees I could do something. Or I could work in a different part of the F.B.I."

Mattie looked shocked by the offer. "No, that's not an option. You would be miserable and I won't—can't do that to you. I chose to leave Boston for you. You never made me choose and I'm not going to make you."

"If you change your mind, you'll tell me."

"It's not going to happen."

"Just in case it does?"

"I promise to tell you."

"Good." Reid pulled into a parking lot and parked the car. "Ready for dinner?"

"Are you kidding? I'm starving!" Reid got out of the car and came around to open the door for her. She got out and tightly hugged him. "Thank you."

"For what?" Reid asked.

She looked him in the eyes. "Everything. I don't want to go back to Boston. My home is here, with you, but thank you for the offer."

"It's still on the table if you ever change your mind."

"No. It's off the table and it's going to stay off."

* * *

"What is this, some kind of joke?" Mattie asked as she threw a memo down on the desk of her department's head.

The department head, Professor Austin had been with the college for nearly fifteen years. He looked up at from his desk and back at the memo. "Professor Reid."

"It's Adams." Mattie kept her maiden name for work because of how she occasionally worked with Spencer and because she was published under her maiden name.

"Right, sorry about that. Professor as can be clearly noticed you are expecting."

"I don't see how that has anything to do with my work."

"Exposure to certain chemicals could lead to harm of your offspring."

Mattie glared at her boss. She knew he was right, but she was getting annoyed with the excuse of her pregnancy messing things up. "You know that I always take my job seriously. I have never put my life or another's in jeopardy." Of course, her own experiments within the lab did not count.

"I know, but as your boss and in your current condition it is a precaution we have to take."

"Fine," Mattie walked towards the door but turned as she opened. "By the way, it is not a condition. It's called being pregnant and don't ever refer to my daughter as offspring it's just weird." Mattie walked down to her lab and sat down at her desk. She decided to grade papers.

About ten minuets later, Agent Hotchner and the team walked in. Mattie looked up as she heard the door swing open. "Hi."

"Hi. We have a case involving a chemical spill. We were hoping you could identify it for us." He handed her a bottle with crime scene remains in it.

"Sure." Mattie took the bottle and put it in a secure container in case it was toxic. Then put it in a machine to identify the chemical. She was not crossing any lines yet. Mattie took the printed results and read them. Her eyes widened. "Oh my God."

"What is it?" Morgan asked.

"It's sarin." Reid looked at her. He briefly remembered hearing about sarin. All he knew about it was that it was bad.

"What's that mean?" JJ asked.

"Sarin is classified as a chemical weapon…a weapon of mass destruction." Mattie said.

"Well, we have a crime scene. What do you need and what can you tell us?"

Mattie refused to look at Hotch. "I can't help you. My clearance has been revoked until after the duration of my pregnancy." She looked up at Hotch. "I know who can help you though and she has clearance."

"Who?" Hotch asked.

"Amy."

As if on cue, Amy walked in. She looked confused when everyone was looking at her. "What?" She asked.

"Agent Hotchner, I'd like you to meet your new chemical specialist: Amy Long." Mattie said. She walked over to Amy and handed her the paper. Amy looked at Mattie confused. "You'll do fine."

Amy looked at the paper and her eyes widened. "Someone made sarin. Seriously?"

Mattie nodded her head. "Wow…That's impressive."

"Why do say that?" Morgan asked.

"Sarin has an extremely short self life. At most it's potent for a few weeks, but it will accomplish its main objective."

"What's that?" Prentiss asked.

Amy looked unsure, but Mattie nodded her head. "If exposed, there will be serious side effects including: a coma state, convulsions, most common is difficulty breathing, and extreme sensitivity to light. Even so, it can lead to death which is why sarin was created." The room was dead silent. "Sorry to be the deliver of bad news."

Hotch smiled at Amy. "You're just doing your job. Don't apologize for it."

* * *

"I can hear you thinking." Reid said at a ridiculous time in the morning, as he lay unhappily awake in bed next to Mattie. His arm wrapped around her waist when she let him. Restless, Mattie rolled over for the fifteenth time. She kept shifting from her back to side and could not find a comfortable position. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm pregnant, so my boss says I can't do experiments with hazardous chemicals. It's not really interesting." Mattie said as she shifted to her back.

"Are you sure that's it?" Reid asked cautiously. He knew that Mattie was upset but hiding it.

"Yes," Mattie said bitterly. She refused to look at Spencer.

"Well, if you want to talk I'm here."

"I know." Mattie's body tensed up and she clenched her teeth. "You cannot kick me when I'm trying to sleep."

"I'm not." Reid said withdrawing his arm from around Mattie.

"No, not you. Baby girl please let mommy get to sleep. She had a hard day and wants to get a few hours of rest." Mattie groaned as her request was not obeyed. "Your daughter is not listening to me. I'm starting to think she hates me."

Reid smiled at Mattie's sleepy comment. "That's just silly. She doesn't hate you that's impossible."

Mattie propped herself up on her elbows. "Fine, you don't believe me. You talk to her."

"What?" Reid asked perplexed and taken a back. He had talked to the baby before so that was not a problem. Mattie's request and tone just had him confused.

"Exactly." Mattie said before plopping her head down on the pillow.

Taking up Mattie's challenge, Reid placed his hand on Mattie's stomach and gently rubbed it. "Baby girl, will you please behave for your mother? She is tired and wants to sleep."

Reid looked up at Mattie's face. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was in an even rhythm that indicated she was asleep. Reid could not believe how fast Mattie had fallen asleep. She must have been exhausted. He turned out the light and went to bed.

When Reid woke up a few hours later, Mattie was nowhere to be seen. He was slightly alarmed, but hoped it was nothing serious. Groggily, he got out of bed and headed down stairs. He smiled as he saw a peaceful Mattie sleeping on the couch. Apparently, the couch was the only place that Mattie could comfortably get to sleep. Reid went back up the stairs and fell asleep. At least they could both sleep now.

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! Warning: Story will be ending in a few chapters. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**


	13. Twists

**Chapter 13: Twists**

"_2 AM and she calls me cause I'm still awake, can you help me unravel my latest mistake, I don't love him, winter just wasn't my season." ~Breathe (2 AM), Anna Nalick_

* * *

Mattie looked at the doctor in horror. "Are you kidding me?"

"Mrs. Reid—"

"You are not putting me on bed rest!" Mattie looked at Reid for support. "I'm fine. It was nothing but an overreaction."

Spencer smiled uneasily at his wife. "I think we should listen to the doctor."

Mattie looked at Reid in shock, then at the doctor. She was reduced to bargaining now. "Can I at least finish teaching up my class for the year?"

"No."

"But—"Mattie tried to plead now, but that clearly was not going to work.

"No buts. You are on bed rest until you the end of your pregnancy." The doctor said. "That means you aren't allowed to do anything too strenuous. You need to relax. I know it seems as if I'm the bad guy but you need to do this for your baby."

"Okay." Mattie pouted giving in. She looked at Spencer. "Don't think I'm going to make your life easy."

Reid did not say anything. He was smarter than that by now. He knew that Mattie's hormones strictly controlled her now. His rational wife had gone on vacation. He hoped that rational and less hormonal Mattie would return shortly after their daughter was born. He was really missing her.

Mattie looked at the doctor. "Can I at least have sex? Or is that a no too?" She asked sarcastically.

"You can have sex." The doctor said.

Mattie looked at the doctor annoyed. "I can have sex, but I can't teach my class?"

"I know it appears like a contradiction, but medically it makes sense." The doctor turned to Spencer. "Mr. Reid may I have a word with you in private?"

"Sure." Before heading out of the exam, room Reid gave Mattie a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be right back. Try to stay out of trouble." He walked out of the room and followed the doctor.

"How are you doing?"

"Sorry?" The question caught him completely off guard.

"Just because your wife is pregnant, it doesn't mean that you aren't allowed to have any emotions. I'll repeat my question: how are you doing?"

"Good..." He wasn't very convincing and he knew it. "I'm more worried about her and the baby than anything."

"This is a tense time. Just try not to stress out. If I could, I'd put you on bed rest for a week."

Reid chuckled. "That would be nice but not realistic."

"It was an idea. Try using it."

Reid closed the door behind him as he entered the house. He went over to the couch and sat down. It was more as if he collapsed on the couch. He looked at Mattie who was cautiously watching him. "Don't scare me like that again. I don't know what I'd do without you two. When I signed on to this I was planning on forever. I don't want forever to end now."

Mattie came over to the couch and sat down next to Reid. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"Good." Reid looked at Mattie's swollen stomach. "That means you aren't allowed to cause any more trouble either. That is not a suggestion. I'm telling you as your father."

Mattie smiled at Reid's serious father tone. "I'm sure she'll listen to you."

"Good. Now, I am going to go get sheets and a blanket. When I come back, I am going pull out the mattress and everyone in this house is going to go to bed."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. You aren't allowed to do anything."

"Spencer—"

"Don't argue with me or I'll take you back to the hospital and have the doctor talk to you again."

Mattie scowled at him. She'd had enough scolding for one day. "Fine."

"Thank you." Spencer gently kissed Mattie's cheek. He went upstairs gathered up the items and headed downstairs. He pulled out the mattress from the couch, set up the bed, and then all the members of the Reid house were asleep.

In the morning, Mattie woke up late. Well, it was late for her. She looked at Reid who was sitting up in bed reading the newspaper. "What time is it?"

"It's about ten. Why?"

"Why aren't you at work?" Mattie asked worried.

"Good morning to you too. I called Hotch. He said, feel better. I'm going to go in this afternoon and work on paperwork."

"Oh…Good morning."

"Do you want pancakes, waffles, or French toast?" Reid asked as he closed the newspaper.

"Waffles." Mattie said. "Please."

Reid got up and started to make breakfast in the kitchen. The house was dead quiet besides the sound of Reid mixing up waffle batter. Unable to stand the quiet, Mattie got up and went into the kitchen. Reid looked at her. "You are on bed rest.'

"I can walk around. I'm not doing anything wrong."

Reid eyed her suspiciously. "Okay."

"So, are you going to be mad at me all day?"

"I'm not mad." Reid said in a less than convincing voice. Mattie watched him. "I'm just…"

"I know and I'm sorry." Mattie hugged Spencer before he kissed her. It was supposed to be a small sweet kiss but it quickly developed into a deeper and more passionate kiss. One of Mattie's arms wrapped around Spencer's neck and pulled him closer. His hands went down her side to her hips. Spencer pulled back but Mattie pulled him closer. "Not yet." She mumbled.

"Your breakfast is going to burn." Reid managed to say.

"Spencer. I don't care about the breakfast." His eyes softened and he kissed her more deeply than before.

* * *

David walked into Mattie's classroom and handed out a test to all of her students. As David handed the test out to Mattie's class he said. "Professor Adams won't be here today. Don't ask me when she'll be back. You have the class to finish the test."

He sat down behind the desk and started to read a book. He looked up every once in awhile. At one point, he told them the time left. Some people handed in their tests early. Others continued to work until the end of the bell. He gathered up all the tests as the class ended.

David then took the tests and went to Mattie's lab. He needed to get something out of the classroom. He entered the lab when he saw someone in the lab with blonde hair. She did look familiar; then again, he was looking at the female from the back. "Hi, can I help you?" David's mouth dropped as the woman turned around. "Uh…Amy."

"David." Naturally blonde Amy said. "Hi."

David just looked at Amy shocked. "Uh… sorry." After a rather long pause David said, "Is it just me or is this awkward?"

"No, this is awkward." In attempt to make things less awkward, Amy gestured to the folder David was carrying. "What did you need?"

"I was just picking up things for Mattie."

"Right, how is she doing? I heard the doctor put her on bed rest."

"She's doing okay. She's a little annoyed by the doctor but that is nothing new. You are a blonde."

"Yeah…I thought I would go natural for awhile."

"It looks…good."

"Thanks. How have you been?"

"Good. You?"

"Good." David went over to Mattie's desk picked up another folder and started to head to the door. "I hear you are moving." Amy said as David got to the door.

"_So close…"_ He thought. He turned and faced Amy. "Yeah, California. Ah…what about you? I hear you are dating…Edward?"

Amy looked at the floor. "We are sorting things out."

"Fun."

Amy looked up at David. "I'm sorry." David looked at Amy confused. "When we were together, I wasn't the best girlfriend. In fact, I was awful. I just want to apologize for the way I treated you. It wasn't right. I'm sorry."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Amy nodded her head and turned back to the board. "I'm not leaving because of you." David said. Amy looked at him.

"You're not?"

He chuckled to himself. "No, I had always wanted to teach at Caltech. I moved here for the wrong reasons. I know that now."

"Oh…"

"Thanks for the apology." David said before leaving the classroom.

As soon as David had left the room, Amy looked at the door. She shook her head and smiled. They were better off without each other. Moreover, she was with Edward and David was moving to California. There was only complication in that.

* * *

Mattie was sitting at the table grading the papers that David had dropped off. She was currently looking over the A.P. Chemistry exams. She marked off a few points and calculated the percentage. She put the final grade on top of the paper and recorded it in her grade book. She took another test off the pile and started to grade it.

Mattie sharply inhaled when she caught by surprise by Reid's lips kissing the side of her neck. "I didn't hear you come in."

"That was my objective." Reid mumbled as he nuzzled Mattie's neck.

"Spencer, that tickles!!" Mattie squealed causing Reid to stop kissing her. "Nice to see you to."

"I brought you these." Reid said as took out a bouquet from behind his back.

"They are beautiful." Mattie took the card and read it. Afterwards, she looked at Spencer and gave him a deep kiss. "I love you too and you are forgiven."

"Thank you." Reid took the bouquet and put them in a flower vase. "How was your day?" Reid asked as he came back with the flowers.

"Pretty good. You?"

"It wasn't too bad. I just caught up on paper work." Reid looked at the papers that Mattie was grading then at Mattie suspiciously.

"The doctor said no teaching. There was nothing about grading papers."

Reid grinned. "Uh huh."

"Are you going to tell on me?"

Reid shook his head. "I should but I won't."

"Thank you."

"That doesn't mean there is not a fee."

"What do you want?"

Reid shrugged his shoulders. "I'll get back to you."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"What? You don't trust me?" Reid asked feigning to be shock and hurt.

Mattie laughed. "Believe me, I trust you."

"Good." Reid had a twinkle in his eyes and got up. He came back with a Scrabble game.

Mattie laughed when she saw the game. "Honey, I know you feel guilty but you already apologized. I think you are being a bit to harsh on yourself."

"I want to play Scrabble. I'm not being harsh on myself."

"Fine, if you want to torture yourself."

Reid smiled. "Please. Now you are just insulting me."

As they were playing the game, Mattie's earlier statement was right. Scrabble was turning out to be torture for Reid. Mattie looked at Reid as he was concentrating on the board. "Are you sure you want to keep playing?"

"Yes," Reid mumbled.

Mattie stood up. "I'm going to go get something to drink. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

"No thank you."

"Okay, don't look at my tiles." Mattie joked.

"There is no point to looking at tiles. It only makes sense to cheat when playing poker." Reid mumbled. He did not get it. He was a genius, but he could not beat Mattie in a game of Scrabble. It was always annoying to him. Mattie said, it was because he saw so many possibilities on the board but he did not strategize for the points. He looked at the tiles in front of him and back at the board.

In the kitchen, Mattie gripped the counter. She was used to the baby kicking her now, but this was a different type of pain. She was grinding her teeth together as she told herself, _"Deep breaths."_ That was not helping her. Mattie looked down at the floor; she was standing in something wet. "Ah, Spencer."

"Coming," Spencer stood up and walked into the kitchen. He saw Mattie gripping the counter. He went over to Mattie worried. "What happened?"

Mattie looked up at him horrified. "My water just broke and I'm having contractions."  


* * *

"Are you okay?" Edward asked Amy.

"I'm fine. Why?" Amy asked as she took a sip of her wine.

"You are just quiet."

"It's the case. It makes me realize that I don't want to work with the F.B.I. even if I have clearance."

"Is that all that's bothering you?" Amy nodded her head. "Good." Edward said before reaching over to kiss her.

Amy kissed him back. "You need to quit doing that."

"Doing what exactly?" Edward asked confused.

"Making me want to do nothing but lay in bed with you."

"That's not a bad option. Since you brought it up, do you have plans for this in the near future?"

Amy frowned. "I know that I have been taking things on a slower level than before and you have been wonderful. It's just I don't want to rush and ruin us."

Edward nodded his head. "I am fine with waiting."

"Thank you." Amy said.

Edward was quiet for a few seconds before saying. "I have a proposition for you."

"What is it?" Amy asked. She could tell that it was a serious discussion.

"Move to New York with me."

"What?" Amy asked, surprised.

"Since we have gotten back together…things have been great. I don't want to lose that. Plus, you said yourself you don't want to work with the F.B.I. This would give us a chance to focus on us and you could start over." Amy's eyes were wide at Edward's suggestions. "I'm not expecting an answer today or even in a week. I just want you to think about it."

Amy nodded her head. "I'll think about it, but I can't promise anything."

"I don't expect or want any promises. Not yet."

Later that night, Amy lay awake in bed. She had no idea about what to do. Moving to New York was one thing but with Edward was another. She looked at the ceiling once more and rolled over. It didn't make sense; why couldn't she fall asleep?

Eventually, Amy got up and made herself a cup of tea. She sat down by the window and tried to make sense of everything and anything. That did not even help. Only one thing came to mind and it was not what she wanted in her head.

* * *

**A/N: Hello readers! News: Story is ending soon, if you did not already know. So far, it's been fun writing and hearing back from everyone. Let's keep it that way. Special thanks to REIDFANATIC for betaing this story. Peace.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything belonging to CBS (Criminal Minds' characters).**


	14. Anyone At All

**Chapter 14: Anyone At All**

"_My head and my heart are colliding chaotic. Pace of the world, I just wish I could stop it. Try to appear like I've got it together. I'm falling apart." Slow Me Down, Emmy Rossum _

* * *

Mattie looked at the little person in her arms. She was beautiful. "Can you believe it? Nine months ago, we made her." Mattie whispered to Reid as he sat on the hospital bed next to her.

"She is the best thing we've done yet." Reid said in amazement as he watched his daughter sleep in Mattie's arms. It was all still a shock to him. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure," Mattie handed her daughter over to Spencer.

Spencer cradled his daughter in his arms. He became slightly worried when she opened her eyes and looked at him. "Good morning Ava." Baby Ava simply looked at her father and smiled. "Did you see that?" Spencer excitedly asked.

Mattie nodded her head. "I told you, she likes the sound of your voice." Mattie lay back on the bed and watched her husband and daughter. They were picture perfect together. Mattie smiled to herself. She brought up her fingers and made a fake box then made a camera clicking sound.

Reid looked at her and leaned back. "Your mother is already taking pictures of you. It's never going to end."

"Don't start plotting against me just yet." Mattie said.

"We're not. I'm planning to use baby photos for when her prom date shows up."

Mattie laughed. "That's horrible."

"I'm her father. I'm entitled to blackmail and embarrass her as a teenager, but it will be a while before that happens."

"I'd hope so. She's still a baby. I'm much keener on the idea of a newborn versus a teenager right now. Please don't tell me our child is out of the movie _Big_?"

"I don't think so." Spencer's eyes shifted back to his daughter. Baby Ava shifted in her daddy's arms and snuggled closer to him. "Are you going to go back to sleep?"

"Her sleeping pattern is going to be a mess for awhile." Mattie said.

"You should try to get some sleep. You look exhausted."

"Giving birth will do that to you. What about you two?"

"I'm going to hold her for a little longer."

"Okay, but let me give her a goodnight kiss first." Reid shifted and Mattie kissed Ava on the forehead. "You are loved. It's wonderful to finally see you my beautiful girl." Then Mattie leaned up and kissed Spencer. "Good night daddy. I love you."

"Night mommy," Spencer said with the biggest smile. He was officially a daddy. Spencer didn't care what time it was. He just held Ava as she slept in his arms. Ava amazed him. Not just by how small she was, but how perfect she was. As exhaustion hit him, Reid put Ava in her bassinet after giving her a kiss goodnight and lay down next to Mattie.

* * *

At the wedding rehearsal, Amy sat next to Edward. She had thought about his proposition and was starting to come up with an answer. Under the table, they were holding hands.

Across the room, Diana Long watched her daughter. Something was bothering her. Amy's hair was back to normal and she was now seeing Edward again. Diana liked Edward well enough. He came from a nice family and he was a gentleman but there was a reason that Amy and Edward had broken up. She just found it confusing that her daughter would be dating Edward again.

Diana excused herself and walked over to Amy. "May I have a word Amy?"

"Of course," Amy squeezed Edward's hand before dropping it. Amy followed her mother into the foyer of the building. "What do you want?"

Diana looked at her daughter. "You changed your hair again." Amy looked at her mother confused. "Do you remember the trip we took to Paris when you were five?"

"Barely." Amy said. She didn't know what her mother was trying to do but whatever it was, it was strange.

"Well, you wanted to go to the top of the Eiffel tower. You were so stubborn." Diana Long smiled at the memory of Amy as a child. "Your father eventually took you up to the top because I wouldn't go."

"Mom, what does this have to do with anything?"

"Even as a five year old, you refused to settle. Why are you doing it now?"

Amy looked stunned, but glowered at her mother. "I'm not settling."

"Edward is a wonderful young man but you weren't in love with him the first time and you aren't now."

"You don't know that."

"Please, I know when you are and aren't in love."

"You're wrong."

"Am I?"

Amy threw up her hands in frustration. "Why am I even listening to you? You always do this."

"I always do what?" Diana asked.

"Mess with my head."

Diana smiled. "I would not be messing with your head if my words didn't have some truth to them."

"You're wrong." Amy said trying to keep her voice steady.

"You keep saying that."

"I'm trying to move on in my life and be happy. Why won't you just leave me alone?" Amy sat down on the couch in the room and looked at the floor. Her mother sat down next to her. Amy looked up at her. "Do you really hate me that much?"

Diana's face showed complete shock. "I don't hate you. I never have. I love you Amy." Diana looked away. "I know I wasn't the best mother. I was young and naive when I had you. I just don't want you to make a big mistake by settling for something that is not there." She looked at her daughter and gently kissed her forehead. "I love you. I always have."

"Thank you." Amy said. "I love you to." Amy whispered as she stood up and went back to the rehearsal dinner with a better understanding of her mother. Amy sat down next to Edward. He smiled at her. At that moment, the decision about New York and moving in with Edward was the clearer to Amy than ever before.

Across the room, Diana Long sat down next to her husband. She looked at him and smiled. Then she looked at her daughter and hoped that her daughter made the right decision.

* * *

Mattie rolled over in bed she could hear her daughter crying through the baby monitor. She started to get up but Spencer put a hand on her shoulder and said. "I've got her. Try to go back to sleep."

Reid got out of bed and went into the room next door. "Shh…" He muttered as he came in the room. He picked up baby Ava and walked around the room with her. "Hey baby girl. What's wrong?"

He took her wrapped in a blanket downstairs. Baby Ava had calmed down, but she was not ready to go back to bed yet. Reid put a CD on the stereo and rocked baby Ava. _"It's going to take some time this time to get myself in shape. I really fell out of line this time."_ He sang along with the song as he slowly danced with her. "Your mother is really a better singer than me but we are trying to let her sleep." He smiled at Ava who appeared to be enjoying herself. _"It's going to take some time this time. No matter what I plan..."_

Reid looked up at the stairs when he heard someone else singing along with him for one line. "How are you two doing?" Mattie asked as she walked down the stairs over to him.

"We're doing well."

"_The Carpenters_?" Mattie asked.

"I can't sing along with _Louis Armstrong_. What's wrong with _The Carpenters_?" Spencer asked. He felt that Mattie was secretly making fun of him.

"Nothing," Mattie said with a slight laughed.

"Uh huh," Spencer said, less than convinced. "Your mother thinks she can lie but she can't." Spencer said through a smile to Ava.

Mattie just laughed. "That's cute honey. Where did this album come from anyways?"

"It's one of mine." Reid said.

"That explains it."

"What, you aren't a fan?"

"They were okay." Mattie said with a shrug. She sat down on the couch and watched them dance. "I like their rendition of _Ticket To Ride_."

"The whole point of me taking her was so you could sleep." Spencer pointed out.

"I know, but I couldn't."

"Do you want to hold her?"

Mattie nodded her head. Spencer walked over to her and handed over Ava. Ava's head lay on Mattie's chest and her body stretched onto Mattie's stomach. Ava gurgled as she fell asleep.

"I guess the doctors were right." Spencer said.

"About what?" Mattie asked.

"That a baby can tell who their mother is by the heartbeat."

"How did you come to that conclusion?"

"By how easily she fell asleep." Spencer said.

"It was your singing." Mattie said as she stood up holding Ava.

"Funny." Spencer said.

"I'm not laughing." Mattie started to walk upstairs. "Are you coming to bed?"

"I'll be up in a moment."

"Okay,"

Mattie walked up to the nursery and put Ava back in her crib. "Sleep well sweetheart."

She kissed Ava, turned off the lights, and went to her bedroom. Mattie lay down and felt Reid get into bed next her. "Spencer?"

"Uh huh…"

"I love you."

"I love you too honey." Reid said before pulling Mattie tighter against him.

"Spencer…" Mattie said in a quieted voice.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked a little worried.

"_Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near? Just like me, they long to be close to you."_ Mattie gentle sang.

Reid smiled and whispered. "I knew you were a fan."

"Just don't tell anyone." Mattie whispered back.

"I won't." Spencer said with a smile.

* * *

Amy looked in the mirror one last time as she went over every detail of her makeup. She had made sure it was perfect before heading out into the wedding reception. She walked into the reception in the midnight blue gown. She went to get a drink and watched as her cousin enjoyed her first dance as a married woman. Her cousin looked so happy. It made Amy smile but she was still slightly sad. She felt an arm wrap around her waist. She looked at Edward. "Do you want to dance?"

"Sure," She put her drink down and let him lead her onto the dance floor. Edward pulled her close as they danced to Billie Holiday's _Let's Do It_. She found the song ridiculous but entertaining.

"You know, maybe in a few months we'll be doing this." Edward suggested.

"Dancing?" Amy asked confused.

"No, getting married." Edward said, but he instantly regretted it. "Are you okay?"

"I…Edward…I should have told you this when I knew. I can't go to New York with you. I would love to but I can't give my heart away to you again. I'm so sorry."

Edward took Amy's hands and shook his head. "I should have known." He looked up at her and smiled.

"You aren't mad."

"No. I knew but I was just hoping."

"I wish…" He placed a finger on her lips to silence her.

"Is he a good guy?" Amy nodded her head. "Then, I'm happy for you. Go."

She kissed his cheek. "Thank you and I hope you find her soon." With that, Amy headed out the door to call a cab. In the reception hall, Diana Long smiled to herself.

At the college, Amy ran down the hall carrying her heels. She stopped before a certain office door, opened it, and quietly walked in. She had butterflies in her stomach. "I didn't sleep with Edward."

David turned around and gaped at Amy for a moment and then he refocused himself. "What are you doing here?" He asked confused.

"I was ready to move to New York with Edward but I realized if I did that I would regret it for the rest of my life." She took a step towards David and he slightly leaned back.

"I'm listening." David said unsure of where the conversation was going.

"I'd regret it because the truth is… I want to be with… you."

"You have the worst timing ever." David said. "I'm moving to California."

"I know."

"I'm leaving."

"I know." Amy said. She felt so stupid.

"What do you expect me to say?"

"I don't expect anything. I was hoping…"

David leaned back against the table behind him and looked Amy over. He could tell she was not joking. She had the most honest look on her face. "I need to eat. Do you want to join me?"

Amy nodded her head. "Yes." She said in a soft voice.

"Okay." David walked towards Amy, stopped in front of her, pulled her towards him and kissed her deeply. She kissed him back with just as much passion as she had. He pulled back for lack of air and made eye-contact with her. "This time, I'm not having sex with you until it's right."

Amy nodded her head and smiled. He had said, _this time_, meaning he was letting her back into his life. "I understand."

"So I guess you are moving to California with me."

"If you'll let me."

"I'll let you." They both smiled and kissed again. It felt right to Amy. Everything felt right. With David, nothing was forced.

* * *

**A/N: So technically this is the last chapter. ;( However, there will be an epilogue. :) I hope everyone enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. Thanks to REIDFANATIC for putting up with my writign and to all of you who R&R this story. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or any songs by The Carpenters. **


	15. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"_And besides, you know, love is irrational. It's like this anesthetic goes off in your head eliminating all reason so the act of procreation can occur. It's a natural state of imbalance built into the whole system, you know?" Luke Girardi, Joan of Arcadia_

* * *

_  
_

Spencer Reid walked into his house and quietly shut the door. He had seen a light on in the house as he had drove up so he figured that Mattie was still up. He hung up his jacket and walked into the living room to see two figures. One Mattie, looking over a paper and the second was his five-year-old daughter Ava asleep on the couch. Mattie looked up as he entered the room. "Why isn't she in bed?" Reid asked. It was definitely past Ava's bedtime. Mattie placed a finger in front of her mouth as if to signal Reid to be quiet.

He got the hint and Mattie, without waking Ava, got off the couch and came over to him. "Hi." She said in a whisper.

"Hi." He whispered and put his arm around her waist pulling her close. "Why isn't she in bed?" He asked again.

Both of their gazes fell on Ava as she slept on the couch in her cloud pajamas. It was one of Reid's favorite things: watching his daughter sleep. "You try telling your five year old to go to sleep when she knows daddy will be home soon."

"I called you two hours ago." He said.

"I know. She wanted to wait up to say goodnight. So I let her fall asleep on the couch."

Reid nodded his head. "I'm going to put her to bed." He let his hand slip away from her waist.

Mattie nodded her head. "Did you eat?"

Reid had to actually think about it. "No."

"I'll reheat leftovers for you." Mattie said as she moved past him and into the kitchen.

Reid walked over to the couch, picked up Ava who naturally wrapped her arms around him, and carried her upstairs. Ava was the spitting image of her parents. She had brown hair like both of them but the curly part was inherited from her father. She had her mother's eyes and lips. She was a twig growing as her Uncle Andy put it.

Reid carried Ava into her room, laid her down in the bed, where she instantly curled with her teddy bear. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, and went to turn off the light. He turned when he heard a tiny voice say, "Daddy?"

He walked over to the bed and saw Ava had opened her eyes. "Hey baby girl. Close your eyes and go back to sleep." He leaned down and gave her another kiss. "Night." Ava was already asleep by the time he got to the door. He turned off the lights and went downstairs.

"Here." Mattie said as she handed Spencer a plate of reheated spaghetti. Reid took the plate and sat down at the kitchen table. "How are you?" It was their ritual after a case demanded that he go away. Since Ava's birth, Reid had cut down his time of traveling unless it was necessary.

"I'm tired. You?"

Mattie shrugged her shoulders. "I can't complain. It's nice to have you home." She noticed how Spencer was just watching her. "What's with that look?"

"What look?" Spencer asked.

"That look, it's like you want to eat me." Spencer slightly winced. "Sorry bad joke."

"I was just looking at you and noticing how beautiful you are."

Mattie scoffed. "You are a charmer, but isn't it a little late?"

Reid shrugged his shoulders. In truth, Mattie didn't look any different to him. She was still as, if not more, beautiful than when he'd laid eyes on her in her lab at M.I.T or first in college. Her body had quickly returned to normal after her pregnancy, but that really wasn't very important to him. He had fallen in love with Mattie for more than her body but he still had to try hard to keep his hands constantly off her.

He finished his plate and took it to the kitchen, where he washed it. He then sat down next to Mattie who was on the couch reading the paper from earlier. "Come to bed?" He asked.

"In a moment. I have to finish reading this paper. You can go up if you want."

"I'll wait." Reid said before swinging Mattie's feet onto his lap. He then let his hand run from her ankle up. He stopped before reaching her knees.

"Spencer, if you keep distracting me, I won't be able to finish." Mattie said as she looked up from the paper. She didn't really mind the distraction but she needed to finish this one paper. She finished reading the paper, put it on the table, and gave him a kiss. "Come on sleepy head." She said to Spencer as she helped him off the couch and they walked upstairs to bed.

* * *

Mattie turned around and was surprised by lips being pressed against hers. After the instant surprise, she relaxed and leaned in more. "It's nice to see you to." She said after a moment.

"Hi." Reid said with a smile but noticed her clothes. "You aren't ready?"

"I have a great excuse. I was working with chemicals and didn't want to get my dress ruined. Just give me a moment to change." Mattie kissed his cheek. "I'll be right back."

Reid nodded his head and waited. After having Ava, Mattie was offered a job at an institute similar to the Smithsonian. She had taken a job there and was happier there than at the university. She still taught a Chemistry class and occasionally did research ever now and again. She still did analysis for the B.A.U.

Reid looked around at Mattie's office. There were pictures from over the years all over the desk. One of the pictures was taken shortly after Ava was born. Another picture was from Mattie and Spencer's college years. Mattie's office had a homier atmosphere verses a lab. It was partially because Ava would sometimes spend time in the afternoons there after daycare.

"I'm ready." Mattie said. Reid turned and looked at her. It still amazed him at how she was able make him catch his breath. She was wearing a long slender backless slinky black gown. She had quickly pulled up her hair in a rather alluring way. "Are you okay?" She walked over to him and reached to grab something off the desk. Reid automatically put his hands on Mattie's hips and pulled her closer. "Aren't you skipping towards the end of the night?" Mattie asked.

"If you let me." Reid said as his lips went down her neck.

Mattie chuckled. She gently pulled back. "Not yet. Later." She said as she gave him a light peck on the lips.

They had gone out to a nice restaurant and were now walking around in the park. Reid held Mattie close in front of him as they walked. "What are you thinking?" Mattie asked. "Besides trying to get me undressed."

"I was just thinking about when I first came up to M.I.T. I was such a mess back then. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be here and we wouldn't have Ava or our life together."

Mattie turned around to look at her husband. "Spencer, don't talk like that. You give me so much credit and hardly take any for yourself. I didn't do that much. You should try taking some credit every once in awhile."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the mood."

"You can make it up to me later." They walked in silence for a few moments. "So about that subject we've been dancing around all night." Reid slightly froze.

"What about it?" Reid said trying to relax.

"What do you think about it?" Mattie turned to look at him.

"I think if you want to do it then we should. Can I ask something?" Mattie slowly nodded her head. "Where did this come from?"

"I picked Ava up from daycare and she said something about one of her friends having a little sister and it got me thinking. We have Ava and so far everything is good. It was always part of the plan that we'd have more than one child. I was just thinking about it and why not now."

"Are you sure? That's all I'm asking because it's going to be your body going through the whole nine months again."

"I'm sure. Plus, it can't be any worse than before. I don't want to do this if you're only doing it for me though."

"I like the idea of a bigger family. That's partially why I got a house that was a little bigger. I wouldn't want you do it unless I wanted too."

Mattie smiled and snuggled her head into his chest. She felt her cell vibrate and answered it. "Hello? Is everything okay? Oh… Go ahead and put her on…Hey sweetheart… You need to go to sleep… Daddy and I will be home soon… Yes, I will make sure to give you a kiss when I get home… Daddy will too… Do you want to say goodnight to him? Okay, hold on…" Mattie handed the phone to her husband.

"Hey baby girl, are you being good? We'll be home soon but you need to be in bed by then… Yes… I love…Sweet dreams… I'm going to give you back to mommy."

Mattie took the phone back. "Goodnight sweetheart. I love you. Now go to bed and put…Thank you. I hope she wasn't giving you too hard of a time. No, we'll be home soon. Thanks." She closed her cell.

"I think we should get home." Reid said.

"Me too."

* * *

"David, can you check this?" Amy asked as she sat at a coffee table looking over a paper.

David took the paper, looked over the math, and handed it back. "That doesn't make sense." He said pointing out one part of an equation.

"Thank you." Amy started marking the paper with a red pen.

"I still don't understand why you teach that class. You hate math."

"I don't hate math plus I'm not really teaching it." Amy said as she calculated the percentage.

"Can I convince you to take a break?" David asked as he kissed the back of her neck.

Amy turned and gave him a sweet kiss. "Not that type of break."

"Fine." David got up, went to the kitchen, and got something to drink.

"You never answered my question." Amy said as David came into the room again.

He stopped and slowly swallowed. "I think it's you who did not answer my question." After five years, David had grown accustomed to Amy and taking things slower. When they first got back together, he had made tons of rules but they had mostly all disappeared by now.

"I'm still thinking." Amy said. She was quiet for a long time. She wasn't really working on the papers in front of her. "Hypothetically, I want something simple, close family and friends only."

"Hypothetically?" David asked.

Amy looked at him. "Are you giving me an answer?"

"Yes."

"Is that as in yes I have an answer or my answer is yes?"

"My answer to your question is yes." Amy smiled. David smiled back at her before pulling her close and giving her a deep kiss. "I hope you realize that you ruined my plans."

"What plans?" Amy asked.

"I was going to ask you."

Amy laughed. "You had five years to ask."

"True. Don't move." David quickly ran to the bedroom and back. "Now, I know you have already asked but just humor me for the sake of tradition." He got down on one knee and held a box in his hand. "Amy Long, will you marry me?"

"Yes, of course I will." She pulled him up. "You do just realize it took us two proposals to get engaged."

"Yeah, but we never do things traditionally."

"Kiss me."

"Why?"

"Because I need to make sure this is real."

"That's stupid." He kissed her anyway and lifted her up. "I think you need a break from grading papers."

"I agree." She said before kissing him again. She was engaged to David.

They were married two months later. Eventually, David and Amy would have a family of twin girls, Maya and Angela, and a younger son Anthony.

* * *

Mattie curled up to Spencer exhausted. "Wow. That was…Wow," was all she could muster to say.

"Yeah," He said as he pulled her closer. Her head rested on his chest. She could hear his heart still rapidly beating from the rather explosive moment from earlier.

"What do you think? Do you think we just got you pregnant?"

Mattie smiled. "It's possible." Mattie unexpectedly started to giggle.

"What is it?" Spencer asked.

"I was just thinking our life."

"I don't get how it's comical."

"When I was twelve I made a promise that I would never get married or have children."

"What were you going to do?"

"I was either going to be a nun or the next Albert Einstein."

"You were going to be a nun?" Reid asked surprised.

"I was twelve." Mattie could hear the muffled chuckle in his chest.

"Okay," Reid said through a smile. "I'm very glad you didn't go down that road."

"Same here. Getting back to my original point, I was just thinking about how ironic it is how everything turned out, but I like it."

"Well, that's very comforting."

"Honey?"

"Hmm…"

"Happy anniversary."

"Happy anniversary Matilda." He said before kissing her on the forehead.

In the morning, a light knocking on the bedroom door woke Mattie. She remembered that Spencer, with good reason, had locked the door the night before. She got out of bed and threw on clothes. In the scattered clothes from the night before, she found Reid's boxers and a t-shirt and threw them at him. "Spencer put those on."

Barely even awake, Spencer listened to Mattie's command. Once everyone in the room had the appropriate clothing on Mattie unlocked and opened the door. Ava ran into the room and started to jump on the bed.

"Good morning Ava." Reid mumbled. He looked up at the little girl. She stopped jumping and sat down in front him.

"Morning daddy."

"Did you sleep well?"

Ava nodded her head. "You came home late."

"Yes, we did and you were already asleep." Mattie said as she crawled back into the bed and pulled up the covers so Ava could crawl in. She kissed Ava on the forehead.

Ava handed a book that she had been holding in one of her hands to Reid. In the other hand was a teddy bear.

Reid sat up and took the book. "_Curious George_ that's a very good choice. Do you want to start it?" Like her parents, Ava inherited excelled brain functions. However, Mattie insisted that they let Ava have a childhood, unlike Spencer, which included fairytales and _Curious George_.

"No." Ava said. She curled up to her mother and waited for her father to start reading.

"Which story do you want to hear?" Reid asked as he opened the book to the table of contents.

Ava pointed to the first story in the book. Reid opened to that page and started to read: "_This is George. He lived in Africa He was a good little monkey and always very curious._ Hmm…it sounds like you." Reid said before tickling Ava.

"Daddy!!" Reid stopped tickling her. Ava curled up closer to her mom and clutched at her. "Read." Ava sternly said to her father.

Reid picked up the book. "Why don't you read to me and mommy?"

Ava took the book and started to read to her parents. _"One day George saw a man. He had on a large yellow straw hat. The man saw George too…"_ As Reid sat watching his daughter, he couldn't help but be reminded of his mother reading to him as a child. He smiled at his daughter and wife. This was his family and he loved it.

Nine months later, an announcement arrived in the mailboxes of the friends and family of the Reids.

Spencer, Matilda, & Ava would like to announce the birth of their newest family member:

Liam Reid was born on February 21st at 3 am.

_El Fin_

* * *

**A/N: That's it. It's been great writing this and having everyone respond. Sorry it took so long. Life has been crazy and literally this is the first time I've been on the web in 2 weeks. Also, HUGE thanks to RIEDFANATIC for the amazing job she did as a beta reader.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**


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